[Asystole during surgery to manage small intestine cancer: are we dealing with anaphylaxis or carcinoid crisis].

Cardiac arrest in the operating room is a life-threatening event with multiple causes. We report the case of a 53-year old female patient with no particular past medical history scheduled for surgery to manage small intestine cancer. Twenty minutes after anesthetic induction the patient had asystole rapidly reversible after resuscitation measures. The association of face rash with chest rash gave rise to suspicion of late anaphylactic reaction. Rapid patient recovery allowed to resume surgical procedure. Tumor manipulation immediately caused a second severe bradycardia rapidly reversible after the administration of 0.5 mg atropine. Skin rush at the level of the face and the chest occurred again. This second complication immediately gave rise to suspicion of carcinoid crisis. Sandostatine was then administered. No other complication occurred, the patient spent 24 hours in the Intensive Care Unit receiving sandostatine infusion. Urinary 5-HIAA values were very high and histological examination of the surgical specimen confirmed carcinoid tumor. This study aims to highlight the rarity of this entity and the importance of suspecting carcinoid crisis in patients with intraoperative complications during anesthesia for small intestine tumor surgery.