ATS
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Ann Thorac Surg 2008;85:690. doi:10.1016/j.athoracsur.2007.09.029
© 2008 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Personal Folders
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Author home page(s):
Hendrick B. Barner
Right arrow Permission Requests
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Barner, H. B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Barner, H. B.
Related Collections
Right arrow Coronary disease

Correspondence

Allen’s Test

Hendrick B. Barner, MD

Cardiothoracic Surgery, 3635 Vista, St Louis, MO 63110

(Email: hbarner{at}slu.edu).

To the Editor:

I write to support the authors’ experience with the three-digit Allen test [1], which I have used in 1,364 patients from 1993 to the present without postoperative hand ischemia. In the first 100 patients there was a 5-second limit for capillary refill, which was increased to 10 seconds in the next 200 patients and then to 12 seconds. After initial use of hand clench–unclench I switched to the simpler "make a fist" for 15 to 20 seconds. In equivocal situations of capillary refilling in 10 to 15 seconds it is useful to immediately repeat the test with a 50% longer ischemic interval, which will frequently result in a negative test as a result of greater ischemic vasodilation in the skin and collateral vessels.

I agree with the authors’ discussion of test performance and the ability of three-digit compression to occlude distal branches of the radial artery contributing to the palmar carpal arch, which have the potential to produce a false negative test.


   References
Top
 References
 

  1. Asif M, Sarkar PK. Three-digit Allen’s test Ann Thorac Surg 2007;84:686-687.[Abstract/Free Full Text]



This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Anesth. Analg.Home page
M. Brzezinski, T. Luisetti, and M. J. London
Radial Artery Cannulation: A Comprehensive Review of Recent Anatomic and Physiologic Investigations
Anesth. Analg., December 1, 2009; 109(6): 1763 - 1781.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Eur J Cardiothorac SurgHome page
M. Asif and P. Sarkar
Re: Is the Allen test reliable enough?
Eur J Cardiothorac Surg, June 1, 2008; 33(6): 1161 - 1161.
[Full Text] [PDF]

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Personal Folders
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Author home page(s):
Hendrick B. Barner
Right arrow Permission Requests
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Barner, H. B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Barner, H. B.
Related Collections
Right arrow Coronary disease

HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
ANN THORAC SURG ASIAN CARDIOVASC THORAC ANN EUR J CARDIOTHORAC SURG
J THORAC CARDIOVASC SURG ICVTS ALL CTSNet JOURNALS