Reported penicillin reactions frequently result in the use of alternate second-line agents that may be clinically inferior or may pose increased risks to patients resulting in longer lengths of stay and increased costs of care. Alternate broad-spectrum agents may also result in increased rates of adverse events and selection for antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, it is important to obtain a detailed history of a patient’s reported prior reaction to penicillin to determine whether beta-lactam therapy can be safely administered.

Conditions: infection, infection, infectious diseases, pencillin allergy, adverse reactions

Treatments: antibiotics, antimicrobials, penicillin, beta-lactams

Sources

• Blumenthal KG, Parker RA, Shenoy ES, Walensky RP. Improving Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Methicillin-Sensitive Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia and Reported Penicillin Allergy. Clin Infect Dis. 2015 May 19. pii: civ394. (PubMed)
• Charneski L, Deshpande G, Smith SW. Impact of an antimicrobial allergy label in the medical record on clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients. Pharmacotherapy. 2011 Aug;31(8):742-7. (PubMed)
• Picard M, Bégin P, Bouchard H, et al. Treatment of patients with a history of penicillin allergy in a large tertiary-care academic hospital. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2013 May-Jun;1(3):252-7. (PubMed)
• Yates AB. Management of patients with a history of allergy to beta-lactam antibiotics. Am J Med. 2008 Jul;121(7):572-6. (PubMed)