Chest pain in the recovery room, following topical intranasal cocaine solution use

On awakening in the recovery room after a general anaesthetic for ear, nose and throat surgery, a 28-year-old woman reported central chest pain. She had received topical nasal cocaine solution preoperatively. She required intravenous opioids and sublingual glyceryl trinitrate before the pain settled. There was no evidence of significant myocardial injury and the patient was discharged later that day. The use of topical nasal cocaine solution in anaesthesia and its adverse myocardial effects are discussed.