Background: Severe anaphylactoid reactions to isosulfan blue dye requiring resuscitation are reported to occur in 1.1% of patients with breast carcinoma undergoing sentinel lymphadenectomy. In December 2001, the authors began administering a prophylactic regimen before dye injection to determine whether prophylaxis reduced the incidence of life-threatening reactions.
Methods: All patients were mapped with technetium-99m-labeled sulfur colloid. Those also receiving isosulfan blue dye were administered a glucocorticoid, diphenhydramine, and famotidine intravenously just before or at induction of anesthesia. Adverse reactions at the time of surgery were analyzed.
Results: Between December 2001 and July 2003, 1013 consecutive patients underwent sentinel lymphadenectomy for breast carcinoma. Six hundred sixty-seven patients (65.8%) received prophylaxis and isosulfan blue dye, 33 (3.3%) received prophylaxis but no dye, 12 (1.2%) received dye but no prophylaxis, and 301 (29.7%) received no prophylaxis or dye. Blue urticaria and facial edema were observed in 3 (0.5%) of 667 patients receiving prophylaxis and dye and in 1 (8.3%) of 12 patients receiving dye but no prophylaxis. There were no episodes of hypotension, and no patients required vasopressors, ventilatory support, or intensive care observation. Adverse reactions to agents other than blue dye were observed in 2 (0.3%) of 667 patients receiving prophylaxis and dye and in 3 (1.0%) of 301 receiving no prophylaxis and no dye (P = 0.1773).
Conclusions: Preoperative prophylaxis was found to reduce the severity, but not the overall incidence, of adverse reactions to isosulfan blue dye. No life-threatening reactions were noted in patients treated with preoperative prophylaxis. Based on these results, the authors now routinely recommend administration of prophylaxis to patients receiving isosulfan blue for lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node biopsy.