A case report: anaphylaxis to cefazolin during renal transplant surgery

While there exist case reports of anaphylaxis occurring during renal transplant surgery, descriptions of continuing transplant surgery post-anaphylaxis have been scarce. Anaphylactic reactions that present solely with hypotension without pulmonary or mucocutaneous signs have yet to be described during renal transplant surgery.

Here we report a case of a 33-year-old female with end-stage renal disease who underwent cadaveric renal transplant. She developed anaphylaxis following the administration of cefazolin. Despite this reaction, the surgery was ultimately completed after patient stabilization, and the patient had excellent graft function postoperatively. The patient had an elevated tryptase at the time of the reaction and postoperative allergy testing revealed a positive intradermal test to cefazolin. Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for all procedures, studies, and publication of this case report.

This is the first case of a successful zero-mismatch cadaveric renal transplant following an anaphylactic reaction to cefazolin. Although anaphylaxis during transplant surgery typically warrants cancellation due to the hemodynamic effects that may lead to graft dysfunction, here we describe a case where surgery was continued following patient stabilization. The decision to proceed with surgery despite an intraoperative emergency along with the management and workup of intraoperative anaphylaxis are described, which can be beneficial for others who are presented with similar scenarios in the future.