management of specific adverse drug reactions

Question 1

Antidote for opioid toxicity

Answer 1

Naloxone

Widely used for treatment of overdosage with opioids in a non-medical setting and reversal of postoperative respiratory depression

Question 2

Treatment for life-threatening angioedema affecting airway/head and neck caused by ACEi

Answer 2

Icatibant

This selective bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist has proven to reduce the time to complete resolution of angioedema

Question 3

Antidote for the reversal of direct oral thrombin inhibitor caused by dabigatran

Answer 3

Idarucizumab

Novel humanised monoclonal antibody fragment developed as specific reversal agent, promptly restoring dabigatran-prolonged coagulation parameters to baseline values

Question 4

Treatment for systemic toxicity from local anaesthetic agents like lidocaine (eg severe cardiotoxic effects)

Answer 4

Intravenous lipid emulsion (Intralipid®)

Reduce adverse effects resulting from inadvertent local anaesthetic overdoses, intravascular injections, or rapid absorption effects from injections in highly vascular sites