Montreal study finds children who receive EpiPen after allergic reaction less likely to go to ICU

A recent study conducted by the Montreal Children’s Hospital (MCH) has found that children who receive epinephrine — after a severe allergic reaction — before arriving at a hospital are less likely to end up in intensive care.

Between April 2011 and November 2023, researches looked into 3,158 cases of patients at the MCH Emergency Department with anaphylaxis.

They found that of those cases, 44 per cent had received epinephrine before arriving at the hospital.

Of those, 0.7 per cent of children ended up in intensive care, compared to 1.6 per cent of children who did not get epinephrine.

“This confirms that the use of epinephrine before arrival at the hospital reduces significantly intensive care admissions for anaphylactic reactions,” said Dr. Moshe Ben-Shoshan, senior author of the study, Scientist in the Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, and pediatric allergy and immunology specialist at the MCH.

“There is an urgent need for enhanced education and training for patients, parents and emergency medical services professionals to ensure that epinephrine is administered promptly,”

The study also found that while antihistamines were beneficial, they did not have a direct impact on outcomes.

Roughly 79 per cent of those who had received epinephrine had a known food allergy.

“Since the odds of receiving epinephrine before arriving at the hospital were significantly higher in patients with known food allergies, it is possible that these patients were better equipped to manage their condition,” Dr. Ben-Shoshan emphasizes.