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Latex Allergy and EMS
Latex Allergy and EMS Latex - it's all around us. Literally thousands of products contain it, from adhesives to zippered plastic storage bags and everything between. If you or your agency have not treated a patient with this allergy, chances are high that you will. In recent queries of our database, MedicAlert Foundation has noticed an alarming increase in the number of latex allergy related requests for MedicAlert® emblems. The number has risen from 12 in 1986 to 1,650 in 1996. As of March 30, 2000 the number has grown to 12,979! This is an increase of over 1000% and the number is growing daily. This exponential increase it is just one more reason why it is important for emergency responders to look for and utilize the information found on the back of the famous MedicAlert® emblem. Everyone in EMS and healthcare in general has a responsibility both to themselves and their patients to educate themselves about this problem so that they can treat patients with latex allergies in a safe and efficient manner. Is your organization prepared to treat a patient with a latex allergy? Did you know that the mere touch of a latex glove can sometimes cause a severe allergic reaction? If not, you run the risk of breaking that golden rule of medicine: "First, do no harm." Latex allergy or hypersensitivity occurs when the body's immune system reacts to the proteins found in natural rubber latex that comes from the sap of a rubber plant, Hevea Braslinensis This allergic reaction can range from simple skin irritation to full blown anaphylaxis. According to the Spina Bifida Association, three to five percent of the general population suffers from this disease and 25% of health care workers are affected or will develop some form of this allergy. There is no cure for latex allergy. The only treatment is complete avoidance. Imagine you respond to a motor vehicle accident to find a conscious but disoriented patient with a minor head laceration. No doubt you "gloved up" prior to even walking up to the patient. You note that c-spine is being held by first responders as you enter the car to start your assessment. All of a sudden, while extricating the patient, he starts to wheeze and develops severe hives. What happened? As you get the patient in the back of the ambulance, you cut off his shirt and notice for the first time the MedicAlert® emblem on a necklace around his neck. Grabbing it with your gloved hand, you see the words "Allergic to Latex" and you get a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach. You snap your gloves off - fine powdery mist drifts downward in the air. You place the patient on high-flow oxygen and get vitals. You follow your anaphylaxis protocol to the letter, but the patient does not seem to be getting better as you prepare to intubate. As you arrive at the hospital, the patient codes. Here's a frightening addendum to the scenario: It might not have been just the gloves that caused the reaction. It could have been the oxygen mask, the IV start kit the ET tube, any number of things you carry everyday in your ambulance, fire engine, or squad car. Our goal in EMS should be a latex-safe environment for our patients who suffer from this allergy. Talk to your administrator as soon as possible about the need to take a proactive approach to this dilemma that we all faceÉevery day. MedicAlert Foundation, one of the largest nonprofit membership organizations in the world, is the nation's leading emergency medical information service and has been helping save lives for more than 40 years. As part of its life saving mission, MedicAlert® provides training materials to emergency responders through its Professional Programs Department. For additional copies of this and other comprehensive educational materials, please call 1-800-625-3788, fax: (209) 669-2457, or e-mail profed@medicalert.org. And don't forget to visit our website at http://www.medicalert.org Matt Myers, EMT-P is the EMS Education Manager for MedicAlert Foundation, the nation's leading nonprofit emergency medical information service. He has been actively involved in EMS since 1985 as an EMT, Dispatcher, Communications Supervisor, EMT-P, Field Training Officer, Preceptor and Flight Paramedic. Matt Myers can be reached at Myers_Matthew@medicalert.org |
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All contents copyright 1996 - 2005 by Bob Nelson |
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