Intradermal drug testing following anaphylactoid reactions during anaesthesia

Abstract

Intradermal testing of intravenous anaesthetic drugs was performed on 34 patients following acute anaphylactoid reactions during anaesthesia. Twenty-three patients had positive skin tests and 18 of these were positive for a single drug. Muscle relaxants were the drugs implicated most commonly. Intradermal testing is safe and provides useful and often specific positive information, but false-negative results probably occur.