Intraoperative Hypotension in a Patient with Antithrombin Deficiency, Bilateral Pulmonary Emboli, and Cefazolin Allergy

In medicine, the search for a clear answer can at times be elusive. However, this does not necessarily preclude the administration of intelligent and thoughtful therapeutic treatments. Here, we describe a complicated emergent event of severe hypotension and near-arrest that occurred in the operating room in a young, healthy woman undergoing outpatient thyroid surgery. We detail the situation as it presented in the operating room and the measures taken to rule out potential life-threatening diagnoses and develop a thoughtful treatment plan. We further describe the evidence for and against the two remaining diagnostic possibilities: anaphylaxis versus acute pulmonary embolism.