[Histamine-type reactions seen in general anesthesia].

The article analyses the results of a test conducted in 7 departments of Anaesthesia and Reanimation, concerning accidents of a histaminic type which occured following the administration of anaesthetic agents. It seems that very few of the products used lack the property of releasing histamine. The accidents observed may have more complex origins, such as the release of serotonin or bradykinin, etc...,but they seem, nevertheless to be closely linked to the histaminic level and vary in seriousness in relation to that level. The study of the very kind of accident observed attempts to explain the cardiac arrests reported in our enquiry. The difficulty of putting into effect an eventual immuno-allergic process is evoked. Finally, the treatment seems to be sterotypic and effective as there was only one death among the 66 cases recorded.