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Blood test developed to preoperatively identify allergy to nickel
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Researchers at National Jewish Health have developed a blood test that detects whether a person is allergic to nickel, a common material used in total joint replacement devices.
“We are an aging society, and the number of people who need new joints is going to increase and, for some of these people, they won’t know that they’re allergic until after the implant is put in,” Karin Pacheco, MD, assistant professor in the Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at National Jewish Health, stated in a press release. “Nine out of 10 people who get implants do great. But 10% don’t, and they’re miserable.”
Karin Pacheco
Although skin patch testing can determine allergies to nickel allergy, the process may take up to a week and some surgeons may not have access to the right antigens to conduct the test, she added.
“You can send the blood in and it will get developed quickly, and you won’t need to have somebody available who knows how to do the patch testing,” Pacheco noted about the advantages of the blood test.
“If we find a patient is allergic after the fact, unfortunately, the only option right now is to take the joint out and replace it with something to which they’re not allergic,” she stated in the press release. “It would be nice to get it right the first time.”
Reference:
www.nationaljewish.org/