Problems of mediator measurement for a national advisory service to U.K. anaesthetists.

Large numbers of life threatening anaphylactoid reactions are encountered following administration of general anaesthesia. Advice on the future management of the survivors is essential and requires investigation of the reaction mechanism. Demonstration of histamine release is important but unlikely to be achieved in life threatening situations. A national advisory service to anaesthetists assesses IgE-mediated histamine release in terms of the presence and utilization of specific antibodies, and non-specific histamine release in terms of urinary methylhistamine excretion.