Allergic reactions in anaesthesia: are suspected causes confirmed on subsequent testing?

An informed guess is not a reliable way of determining the cause of a supposed allergic reaction during anaesthesia and may put a significant number of patients at unnecessary risk. Some patients may be labelled with a wrong allergy, leading to unnecessary warnings against harmless substances, and some patients may be put at risk of subsequent re-exposure to the real allergen. Patients with suspected allergic reactions during anaesthesia should be referred for investigation in specialist centres whenever possible.