A prospective study of dextran-induced anaphylactoid reactions in 5745 patients.

A prospective study of dextran-induced anaphylactoid reactions (DIAR) in 5745 gynaecological and obstetric patients who received dextran 70 solution intravenously while undergoing major surgery revealed 8 patients who had Grade I or II reactions and 7 patients who had Grade III or IV reactions. The incidence of severe reactions was 1:821 patients treated. The overall incidence of reactions per patient treated was 1:383. One neonatal death followed a dextran-induced cardiac arrest in a woman about to undergo caesarean section. The risks of dextran 70 treatment exceeded the risks of thromboembolism in these patients.