A young woman received two potentially life-saving injections of adrenalin after going into anaphylactic shock on Grafton Street due to a nut allergy.
The woman, who has not been identified, had a reaction to a chocolate milk drink and phoned her father, who told her to seek help at the nearest chemist.
She went into Hickey's Pharmacy and was assessed by staff member Sarah Chambers, who administered two adrenalin pen injections and phoned for an ambulance.
The case follows the 2013 death of Emma Sloan (14), on O'Connell Street. She died as a consequence of a nut allergy but was refused treatment by a chemist because an EpiPen or similar adrenaline injection could not be administered without a prescription.
First response
In October 2015 the ability to administer the shot in first response situations was brought into legal effect by the then minister for health.
The latest case took place on Tuesday when the young woman noticed she was having a severe reaction to a drink she had bought.
“The patient explained that the last time she had an allergic reaction to nuts was when she was aged four,” the pharmacist, Ms Chambers, explained.
“She displayed characteristic symptoms of anaphylactic shock including a rash and swollen lips and so we immediately called an ambulance. I then administered two adrenaline pens and stayed with her to monitor her condition until the ambulance arrived.”
Full recovery
She was then rushed to St James’s Hospital where she was treated. She has since made a full recovery.
The EpiPen provides an immediate dose of adrenaline and can be administered in emergency situations by trained pharmacists.
It works by constricting the blood vessels to increase blood pressure, relaxes muscles in the lungs to reduce wheezing, improves breathing and stimulates the heart rate.
Hickey’s Pharmacy has trained all of its pharmacists to administer adrenaline and has specific protocols in place to deal with such emergencies.
