Allergy to Local Anesthetics

Abstract

Patients frequently relate a history suggesting allergy to local anesthetic drugs which have been commonly recognized as causing dermatitis and systemic reactions.¹However, there appears to be a wide discrepancy between the actual incidence and the emphasis placed on them by textbooks and lectures. Patients who have such a suggestive history are often denied the benefits of local or regional anesthesia. Anesthetists and surgeons have been in somewhat of a dilemma because most reactions to local anesthetics are the result of overdosage, concomitant medication, or apprehension. Intracutaneous testing has been considered of little, if any, value in investigation of the suspected allergies.²We have instituted a reinvestigation of this method and believe it may be of clinical importance. The following case report is presented as an example. <h3>Report of a Case</h3> A 40-year-old woman was admitted to Colorado General Hospital for diagnosis and evaluation of an enlarged osteoblastic