Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 8/18/2010

Question
Dr Levy,
I was browsing your answers to anesthesia questions and was suprised to read that you stated "no one is allergic to anesthesia".  I was told by my cardiologist to list versed as as allergy after a failed attemped at a TEE procedure using versed as conscious sedation after flatlining during the drug being pushed. I now list versed as an allergy.  I recently had a failed surgery attempt--I was prepped for surgery, the anesthesiologist was told of my versed allergy, but insisted on giving the drug anyway. Within seconds I went into asystole and the surgery had to be cancelled.  Each time my heart rate was called brady-asystole and my blood pressure went to 0.
My question is would this be called an allergic reaction or and adverse drug event?

Answer
I did not say that people were not allergic to medications. Versed is used in anesthesia but is not an anesthetic, it is an anxiolytic. The people who asked that question wondered if they were allergic to all anesthesia (e.g. they could not bew put to sleep). People can certainly be allergic to cetain components of anesthesia (Propofol allergy, for example), but not all anesthetics. I would say you have an allergy and in the future I would tell the anesthesiologists that you had a anaphylactic reaction (and they won't give it to you again).

Ronald Levy, MD
Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston