Anaesthesia for the allergic patient.

Knowing that allergic reactions that occur during anaesthesia are essentially caused by muscle relaxants or latex, the patients who should be singled out during the preanaesthetic visit are those already allergic or thought to be allergic to these two substances. On the other hand, atopy or allergy to other drugs, such as antibiotics, has not been proved to favour the triggering of anaphylactic shocks with anaesthetic drugs. Allergy to local anaesthetics is so exceptional that it may be easily dismissed by a challenge test.