Acute myocardial infarction in a patient suffering from penicillin-induced laryngeal edema

Mahmut Yesin, Macit Kalçık, Mustafa Ozan Gürsoy, Süleyman Karakoyun, Metin Çağdaş, Mehmet Özkan

Kounis syndrome or allergic angina is defined as the coincidental occurrence of chest pain and allergic reactions accompanied by clinical and laboratory findings of classical angina pectoris. It is triggered by the action of potent vasoactive and inflammatory mediators, which are released from the mast cells during the allergic reaction. Epinephrine is a life-saving medication in anaphylaxis; however, it can aggravate ischemia and induce coronary vasospasm and arrhythmias. Here, we present a patient with Kounis syndrome that was caused by intramuscular injection of procaine penicillin G, and in whom epinephrine administration for treatment of laryngeal edema had provoked severe myocardial ischemia.