Cefotetan-induced hemolytic anemia - A case report and review of the literature

Cefotetan disodium-induced hemolytic anemia has been reported previously, and some of these cases have been severe or fatal. We describe a case of severe hemolytic anemia that occurred in an 80-year-old woman who received cefotetan prophylactically after surgery for a small bowel obstruction. Eight days after the first dose of cefotetan, the patient developed a severe Coomb test-positive hemolytic anemia. Using flow cytometry, we demonstrated cefotetan-specific antibodies in her posttreatment serum, which were detectable at a serum dilution up to 1:10 000. The patient received corticosteroid therapy and blood transfusions, with improvement of her hematologic parameters, but died 54 days after admission for respiratory failure. To our knowledge, this is the first use of flow cytometry for the detection of cefotetan-induced red blood cell antibodies. This technique offers a sensitive, rapid, objective method for detecting drug-induced antibodies.