• Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Nov 2000

    Latex allergy: an emerging problem in theatres.

    • C Keh, Y Soon, and L S Wong.
    • Department of Surgery, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham B15 2TH, UK.
    • Int. J. Clin. Pract. 2000 Nov 1;54(9):582-4.

    AbstractWith the increasing use of natural rubber products, latex allergy is becoming a major health concern among patients and healthcare workers. The aim of this study was to determine the availability of a latex allergy protocol and essential latex-free products in theatres. The number of latex allergy complaints among patients and theatre personnel were also studied. Postal questionnaires were sent to theatre managers in 205 hospitals in England, Scotland and Wales, 120 (58.5%) of which were returned. Nearly two-thirds of the theatres did not have a latex allergy protocol. Overall less than one-third of theatres in the UK have latex-free products set aside for use. A total of 505 patients with latex allergy underwent surgery; of these, there were four deaths, 18 major anaphylaxes and 483 minor complaints such as skin rash; 239 theatre personnel reported latex allergic reactions and one had a severe anaphylactic reaction. The number of cases with latex-related complications might be reduced if all hospitals had a latex allergy protocol and a range of essential latex-free products.

      Pubmed     Copy Citation     Plaintext  

      Add institutional full text...

    Notes

     
    Knowledge, pearl, summary or comment to share?
    300 characters remaining
    help        
    You can also include formatting, links, images and footnotes in your notes
    • Simple formatting can be added to notes, such as *italics*, _underline_ or **bold**.
    • Superscript can be denoted by <sup>text</sup> and subscript <sub>text</sub>.
    • Numbered or bulleted lists can be created using either numbered lines 1. 2. 3., hyphens - or asterisks *.
    • Links can be included with: [my link to pubmed](http://pubmed.com)
    • Images can be included with: ![alt text](https://bestmedicaljournal.com/study_graph.jpg "Image Title Text")
    • For footnotes use [^1](This is a footnote.) inline.
    • Or use an inline reference [^1] to refer to a longer footnote elseweher in the document [^1]: This is a long footnote..

    hide…

What will the 'Medical Journal of You' look like?

Start your free 21 day trial now.

We guarantee your privacy. Your email address will not be shared.