Modified Allens Test

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7439/ijbr.v7i7.3452

Abstract

Traditionally, a positive modified Allens test (=MAT) had been considered a reliable proof of impaired arterial circulation in the hand. All medical books and plenty of data base for medical students and junior doctors include MAT as an essential procedure before Arterial Blood Gas (=ABG) test is taken. And the instructions are precise and clear: do not perform ABG from the radial artery if modified Allens test is positive. Nonetheless, any doctor that had worked in the UK, can attest that MAT is seldom performed before taking ABG, no matter in emergency department, medics or anaesthetics. A search in the Literature was conducted. We could not find any evidence that demonstrate the usefulness of MAT prior to ABG. We conclude, that unless further evidence is available, MAT should be withdrawn from exams as a rule of thumb prior to performing ABG (at least in the absence of peripheral vascular disease).

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

  • Diana Ly-Liu, Anaesthesiology Department, Hospital Universitario Basurto, Montevideo Etorbidea, 18. 48013 Bilbao, Vizcaya

    Anaesthesiology Department

    Clinical specialist

Downloads

Published

2016-07-30

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 7 (2016): Jul

Section

Letter to editor

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  • Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
  • An author must submit Copyright form After acceptance of the article.

How to Cite

1.
Modified Allens Test. Int Jour of Biomed Res [Internet]. 2016 Jul. 30 [cited 2024 Oct. 18];7(7):394-5. Available from: https://ssjournals.co.in/index.php/ijbr/article/view/3452