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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Cross-Reactivity Documented for Hemaccel and Gelofusin

Department of Anaesthesia & Intensive Care, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia

To the Editor:

The review article on anaphylaxis during the perioperative period by Hepner and Castells contained many interesting points (1). However, one statement, although well intended, must be challenged because it could seriously mislead the reader.

In discussing allergic reactions to colloids, the authors say "There is no known cross-reactivity between the different colloids, so a particular allergy to one should not preclude the use of a different colloid." While this is very probably true if the colloids are of totally different chemical composition, it is not true between the urea-linked gelatin traded as Hemaccel and the succinate linked gelatin traded as Gelofusin. Cross-reactivity by intradermal skin testing between these two has been documented (2). Any patient known to be allergic to one should be assumed as allergic to the other until proven otherwise.

References

1. Hepner DL, Castells MC. Anaphylaxis during the perioperative period. Anesth Analg 2003; 97: 1381–95.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
2. Russell WJ, Fenwick DG. Anaphylaxis to Haemaccel and cross reactivity to Gelofusin. Anaesth Intensive Care 2002; 30: 481–3.[Web of Science][Medline]

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