Emergency Medicine Practice Test 2025 – Complete Exam Preparation

The first action in managing a patient with anaphylaxis is to administer epinephrine immediately. Anaphylaxis is a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction that can lead to airway swelling, circulatory collapse, and other serious complications. Epinephrine, usually given intramuscularly, acts quickly to reverse the symptoms of anaphylaxis by causing vasoconstriction, increasing heart rate, and relieving bronchospasm. This rapid response helps stabilize the patient's condition by addressing the most critical elements of anaphylaxis, such as airway obstruction and hypotension.

While maintaining airway patency is crucial, it is not the initial step. Ensuring that the airway is open becomes vital if the patient's breathing is compromised, but treating the underlying cause with epinephrine takes priority. Antihistamines and corticosteroids are also important in the management of allergic reactions; however, they do not act quickly enough to address the immediate life-threatening aspects of anaphylaxis and should not be relied upon as first-line treatments. Thus, the administration of epinephrine is the most effective and urgent first step in this emergency scenario.