Evidence suggests that most patients with penicillin allergy history could safely receive cefazolin for surgical prophylaxis<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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TUESDAY, March 30, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Though caution is warranted in patients with confirmed penicillin allergy or a history of severe allergic reactions, most patients with a penicillin allergy history who are undergoing surgical prophylaxis may safely receive cefazolin, according to a review published online March 17 in JAMA Surgery<\/em>.<\/p>\n Bernardo Sousa-Pinto, M.D., Ph.D., from University of Porto in Portugal, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to identify studies that included patients who had index allergies to a natural penicillin and were tested for tolerability to cefazolin or that included patients who had index allergies to cefazolin and were tested for tolerability to a natural penicillin. The meta-analysis of data extracted from the studies selected for inclusion was used to estimate the frequency of allergic reactions.<\/p>\n Based on 77 identified studies (6,147 patients), the researchers found that cefazolin allergy was identified in 44 participants with a history of penicillin allergy, resulting in a meta-analytical frequency of dual allergy of 0.7 percent. The frequency of dual allergy was lower for participants with an unconfirmed penicillin allergy (0.6 percent) than for those with a confirmed penicillin allergy (3.0 percent). In 13 studies (3,884 patients) only examining surgical patients, 0.7 percent had a confirmed allergy to cefazolin. Penicillin allergy was confirmed in 16 patients with a history of cefazolin allergy, resulting in a meta-analytical frequency of dual allergy of 3.7 percent. Among the eight studies exclusively assessing surgical patients allergic to cefazolin, penicillin allergy frequency was 4.4 percent.<\/p>\n “The low frequency of penicillin-cefazolin dual allergy suggests that most patients should receive cefazolin regardless of penicillin allergy history,” the authors write.<\/p>\n One author reported a patent for the Beta-Lactam Allergy Clinical Decision Support Tool licensed by Persistent Systems.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n