Question:
Grab you tape and turn on the VCR. Latex allergy will be featured on
ER, Thursday,
November 20, 1997.
Answer:
No doubt with the same exacting accuracy with which they portray all
other medical information.
Excuse, Starsky and Hutch is on cable, and I want to pick up some
accurate police tips! Concerning your response to the "ER" latex-allergy scene :
"Over the top"? Not in the least. Except for the requisite background
music, inherent in all TV dramas, this was a very realistic, albeit
condensed, depiction of a severe latex glove reaction. Look at this
report from the National Institute of Occupation Safety and Health
(NIOSH) publication Alert: Preventing Allergic Reactions to Natural
Rubber Latex in the Workplace:
Case No. 5
A physician with a history of seasonal allergies, runny nose, and eczema
on his hands suffered severe runny nose, shortness of
breath, and collapse minutes after putting on a pair of latex gloves. He
was successfully resuscitated by a cardiac arrest team
[Rosen et al. 1993].
The full NIOSH Alert can be viewed and downloaded from:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/latexalt.html
A full list of additional latex-allergy related links is available by
writing me at the address below. Please put "latex links" in subject
line.
As far fetched as it may have been--it may at least make the public somewhat
(if not ratings inflated) aware of latex allergies and health care workers.
