[nursebetti2001]

Hi Everyone,
I am just wondering if you have any good web sites with current literature on latex allergy?
Also, do you have any research articles concerning allergy to shellfish and the cross sensitivity to iodine (Betadine products)? Recently I was told by a surgeon, that the shellfish-cross sensitivity to iodine products is a myth; that actually the shellfish allergy is based on a protein allergy. Any help with either question would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[ShirleyM]

Originally Posted by nursebetti2001

Hi Everyone,
I am just wondering if you have any good web sites with current literature on latex allergy?
Also, do you have any research articles concerning allergy to shellfish and the cross sensitivity to iodine (Betadine products)? Recently I was told by a surgeon, that the shellfish-cross sensitivity to iodine products is a myth; that actually the shellfish allergy is based on a protein allergy. Any help with either question would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I don't have any lit on latex/shellfish allergy, have you tried the AORN website or an Immunology journal? Have you done a Google search on it? With latex, I know that those who have latex allergies tend to have had a history of multiple surgeries and/or are in the latex industry or exposed to latex routinely on the job. I know that allergies to citrus fruits can be a precursor to a latex allergy, as told to me by co-workers with latex allergies.

[passionate]

AORN is a good place to visit. Also, I have heard others ask pts if they are sensitive to kiwi. The only way to know if someone is truly allergic (anaphyaxis) is if they have had an allergy test that proves it. It is up to each of us to look for signs of sensitivities which can be a sign that an allergic response may be around the corner. Good luck and keep us posted.

[rn/writer]

Google "spina bifida" and "latex" and you will come up will all kinds of information. These folks are probably the most familiar with the practical aspects of latex allergy and avoidance, because, in some cases, their lives depend on it.

I was surprised to find out that bananas can be a problem.

[passionate]

With latex being such a concern I am surprised that more hospitals are not latex free. I know that where I work the OR is not completely latex free. I have been told it costs more to use latex free products but who can even begin to put a pricetag on a lost life?

[Kimbalou]

Originally Posted by passionate

With latex being such a concern I am surprised that more hospitals are not latex free. I know that where I work the OR is not completely latex free. I have been told it costs more to use latex free products but who can even begin to put a pricetag on a lost life?

Kaiser is completely latex free...I'm glad because I'm allergic to it. Had a blood test to prove it. Only get rash and itching from gloves, but it might get worse later on in life.

[Dragonnurse1]

Some Doctors are so full of it. Shellfish and iodine share the same basic element iodine and if you are allergic to one you are allergic to the other. I have a sister that has the shellfish/iodine allergy. Also that is the standard question before giving contrast for CAT scans. Are you allergic to shellfish? If the answer is yes there is a different contrast they have to us.

[peddler]

SO my kid eats pasta sauce one night made with shrimp, but removed because he thought the shrimp were nasty and didn’t want to try one.

Enter deviated uvula, angioedema, difficulty swallowing, cough……..and all be happy that dad is a smart ER nurse at the time. I max load H1 blocker, H2 blocker, and prednisone….had no epi at the time just lying around the kitchen (I do now).

I live 6 minutes from work with traffic….i make it to the ER in about 30 seconds doing 100mph. Throw my kid in the trauma bay with O2 and pulse ox and tell everyone I need the ER doc now and I log into the pyxis and grab epi.

The point isn’t yeh me, or good catch…the point is that I have no idea what component of that meal caused his life-threatening anaphylaxis. The kid was dying rapidly. Ingestion to ER was minutes. Is the elemental iodine the culprit? Is protein x in the shrimp the culprit? I haven’t researched it and I don’t know. What I DO KNOW is that a 911 act now or watch your kid die emergency is no fun. Please treat your patients as though they were your family member and take historical data as fact. If a little old lady says she is allergic to horses….she is. What she really means to say is that she is allergic to the medicines that were derived from horse byproducts.

Please let the relationship loose or otherwise stand and error on the side of caution. If you have a surgeon that is cavalier about anything….call him on it. They back off quick when you show them that your brain has more spark than two sticks rubbed together.

[Dragonnurse1]

I am so sorry that you had such a trauma but at least you were close to the hospital and knew meds to give guickly. There are 2 possibilities here. Tomatos are cross reactive to latex sensitivity and the shrimp are just like giving someone iodine to drink. If your son has no reaction to blowing up a balloon then it is a really good bet that it was the shellfish. Was this the first time he had eaten this item? Has he ever had any shellfish? Doesn't matter some of us just one day fall off the cliff into allergies. Find a good allergist. If he wants to start with a test called True test don't. Or just have him blow up a balloon if nothing happens shellfish/iodine goes on all his medical records, also get med-alert bracelet listing iodine as anaphylatic allergy. Hope things go better.

[TracyB,RN]

Our anesthesia group has a favorite quesion asked to patients when they say they have a latex allergy?? Is it a documented allergy??
Or, the all-time favorite... do you wear underwear? Think rubber in the waistbands or bra straps

Most people are so baffled by those questions. It's really sad.
Occasionally, we get the patient who knows all of the potential triggers for latex allergy... I LOVE THOSE PATIENTS...