[2009 Japanese Society of Latex Allergy guidelines for the safe management of latex allergy].

Latex allergy is an IgE-mediated reaction to natural latex antigen. Operating room equipment frequently includes medical devices, such as surgical gloves, intravenous lines, and urinary catheters, which are made from latex or contain latex. These products can trigger an allergic reaction that can result in anaphylactic shock. Removal of natural rubber and latex-containing products from the operating room and avoidance of external and internal exposure of patients to latex antigen will prevent such allergic reactions. Updated guidelines for the safe management of latex allergy were published in 2009 by the Japanese Society of Latex Allergy. The previous guidelines regarding this topic were published in 2006. The new guidelines consist of 11 chapters that deal with background, exposure to latex antigen and development of sensitization, high-risk groups, natural rubber products, allergic reactions triggered by natural rubber products, diagnosis, latex-fruit syndrome, countermeasures and treatments in emergencies, prevention and safe management in the hospital, countermeasures in daily life, and limits for application of the guidelines. We had a case that required management according to the 2009 guidelines. A 49-year-old male doctor with a history of allergy to latex gloves was scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy under general and epidural anesthesia for recurrent, acute cholecystitis. The anesthesia and operation were performed uneventfully with latex-free medical devices and machines in a latex-safe environment in the operating room under the new guidelines. Safe anesthetic management under the 2009 guidelines should be available for all operations in Japan on patients with latex allergy.