• Sabrina Bonalumi, Patrizia Barbonaglia, and Carmen Bertocchi.
• Referente Qualità Area a valenza dipertimentale dei Blocchi Operatori, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico Mangiagalli e Regina Elena.
• Prof Inferm. 2006 Jan 1; 59 (1): 8-12.

BackgroundIn 2001 the General Health Direction of Region Lombardia approved (decree n. 22303) a guideline for the prevention of latex allergic reactions in patients and health care workers. This document provides general recommendations in order to standardize behaviors in regional health care facilities. The reason is due to a rise in the incident of reactions to latex products in the last 20 years. Nowadays the prevalence is higher in certain risk groups (subjected to frequent and repeated exposures) rather than the general population.AimThe aim of the project was to organize a latex safe operating theatre in the Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Mangiagalli e Regina Elena of Milan (Fondazione) and to standardize behaviors in order to prevent adverse effects in latex allergic patients.Materials And MethodsThanks to the literature review and the creation of a multidisciplinar team, we produced a protocol. Therefore, we requested manufacturers the certification of the latex content of their products. Results and conclusion. When latex allergic patients need to undergone surgery in our hospital, a latex safe operating theatre is organized by personnel following a multidisciplinar protocol. No allergic reactions were experienced during surgical procedures after the creation of an environment as free as possible from latex contamination. The project will involve an emergency room, one room or more of a ward and of the outpatients department.

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