Latex Allergy

Brands of syringes contain latex in the plungers, some brands of foleys...

Ports in the iv tubing....essentially every piece of equipment must be examined.

Bananas

Some bandaids, too; some BP cuffs; some stethescope tubing.

Just a FYI, get a good history of what their latex allergy is. We hear latex allergy and get rightfully concerned. It seems 95% of my involvement with latex allergy patients turns out to be low level skin irritation. I've never met some one with full blown respiratory distress allergic reaction to latex. Read the label, almost all hospital products are labeled latex, or latex free.

CPR dummies, and the face masks to use for these dummies also have latex (at least the ones used on the first aid courses I've been on)

Bananas

Interesting, I did not not this.

Some house paints, but I've only seen the fumes from wet paint cause problems.

I just don't get what I'm supposed to do when they are allergic to this stuff. Obviously latex free gloves. That's all we have now anyway. I can start an IV without a tourniquet. But when I'm taping down an IV with gauze and paper tape its like ***** By the way, I work in an ICU. Not sure if our BP cuffs have latex in them, I never really thought about it. But we only have one type of cuff.

Ports in tubing?? What do you do?

And thanks BrownBook, that's a really good point to get a better idea of the actual reaction.

If they have a true allergy to bananas, then be very careful. Bananas are closely related to the rubber tree.

Most people only have a mild skin reaction - - the ones you have to be very concerned about are the people who have a chronic illness that have been exposed to latex over and over, and then develop allergic symptoms.

Don't make yourself too crazy, and ask for assistance from your facility.

Benzoin (mastisol is latex-free)

Underwear (If someone has a true latex allergy, then an elastic waistband next to their skin all day long is torture. If it's a case of semper ubi sub ubi, the patient most likely had tape on for an extended period of time and the skin got irritated. In a trauma, I put the patient sticker on my hand so that I can call for blood without searching for the med record number, and I always end up with a red rectangle on my hand.)

I have a latex allergy and when I gave blood I reacted to the catheter.

Also remember when you are doing patient teaching that latex condoms should be avoided.