A 26-year-old man with ocular complications after adverse reaction to phenytoin

Abstract

A 26-year-old black man was admitted to the Burn Unit of Hamilton General Hospital, Ontario, following an adverse drug reaction to phenytoin. He was diagnosed with toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) and Ophthalmology was consulted to assess for ocular complications (Figure 1). The Score of Toxic Epidermal Necrosis (SCORTEN) for this patient was 2 (SCORTEN is a validated severity-of-illness score that is predictive of mortality; scores range from 0 to 7, with 2 corresponding to a 12.1% mortality rate), because he was <40 years of age, had no associated malignancy, had a heart rate of >120 beats/minute, no electrolyte abnormalities (blood urea nitrogen, serum glucose, or serum bicarbonate), and a detached body surface of >10%.(1) He had no comorbidities. His medical history was remarkable for epilepsy. The patient had 85% of his body covered in a thin vesicular slightly blistering rash. His systemic involvement included oral and orbital edema and ulceration of his lips, oral mucosa, scrotum, glans, and upper right chest.