Journal of Anaesthesiology Clinical Pharmacology (Jan 2017)

Xylometazoline nasal drops induced anaphylaxis: An atypical perioperative complication

  • Rudrashish Haldar,
  • Sukhminderjit Singh Bajwa,
  • Jasleen Kaur

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4103/0970-9185.173331
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 33, no. 3
pp. 399 – 401

Abstract

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Xylometazoline nasal drops used for nasal decongestion can have side-effect in the form of palpitation, hypertension, headache, and tremors. Anaphylaxis to xylometazoline nasal drops is a relatively unrecognized complication. We encountered a patient posted for tonsillectomy who developed serious anaphylaxis upon administration of a commercially available preparation of xylometazoline nasal drops and required aggressive management for stabilization. Further evaluation and literature search indicated toward the preservative (benzylalkonium chloride) as the cause of this adverse event.

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