Vancomycin and Red Necks
Authors: BRUCE H. ACKERMAN
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1985)

Letters and Corrections1 May 1985Vancomycin and Red NecksBRUCE H. ACKERMAN, Pharm.D., ROBERT W. BRADSHER, M.D.BRUCE H. ACKERMAN, Pharm.D.Search for more papers by this author, ROBERT W. BRADSHER, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-102-5-723 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptTo the editor: Glicklich and Figura (1) recently reported the case of a patient with a cardiac arrest after a bolus of 1 gram of vancomycin given over 2 minutes. Possible causes mentioned for this adverse reaction included neuromuscular blockade and a drug-induced dysrhythmia (1). We propose another mechanism, an anaphylactoid reaction (2). Several reports of "allergic reactions" to vancomycin have been published (3, 4) in which patients given vancomycin intravenously became lethargic and hypotensive and developed cardiac depression. These adverse effects have been described as the "red man's syndrome" and are thought to result from histamine release by mast...References1. GLICKLICHFIGURA DI. Vancomycin and cardiac arrest [Letter]. Ann Intern Med. 1984;101:880-1. LinkGoogle Scholar2. GARRELTSPETERIE JJ. Vancomycin and the "red man's syndrome" [Letter]. N Engl J Med. 1985;312:245. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. NEWFIELDROIZEN PM. Hazards of rapid administration of vancomycin. Ann Intern Med. 1979;91:581. LinkGoogle Scholar4. LERNERDWYER AJ. Desensitization to vancomycin [Letter]. Ann Intern Med. 1984;100:157. LinkGoogle Scholar5. CUHNARISTUCCIA BA. Clinical usefulness of vancomycin. Clin Pharm. 1983;2:417-24. MedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of Arkansas Medical Center Little Rock, AR 72205 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byStandard teicoplanin reconstitution and the risk of adverse reactionANTIBIOTIC SIDE EFFECTSPotentiation of Vancomycin-Induced Histamine Release by Muscle Relaxants and Morphine in RatsTeicoplanin or vancomycin in the treatment of Gram–positive infections?The Chronic Fatigue Syndrome“Red man syndrome” with vancomycin: report of caseVancomycin, Ticarcillin, and Amikacin Compared with Ticarcillin-Clavulanate and Amikacin in the Empirical Treatment of Febrile, Neutropenic Children with CancerGram-Positive Infections and the Use of Vancomycin in 550 Episodes of Fever and NeutropeniaMARC RUBIN, M.D., JAMES W. HATHORN, M.D., DORIS MARSHALL, R.N., JANET GRESS, R.N., SETH M. STEINBERG, Ph.D., PHILIP A. PIZZO, M.D.Pharmacokinetics and serum bactericidal activity of vancomycin alone and in combination with ceftazidime in healthy volunteersVancomycin-Induced Neutropenia during Treatment of Osteomyelitis in an OutpatientAntimicrobial chemotherapy of septicemia due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureusVANCOMYCIN, RED NECK SYNDROME, AND FITS 1 May 1985Volume 102, Issue 5Page: 723-724KeywordsAdverse reactionsAllergy and immunologyHeartHistamineNeuromuscular blockadeVancomycin Issue Published: 1 May 1985 PDF downloadLoading ...