Multi-Test®

"In relation to other forms of skin testing, Multi-Test enjoys advantages such as speed, convenience, and good patient acceptance. When using Dip 'N Touch for loading heads, dozens of antigens can be applied to a patient's back or arms in a reproducible fashion very quickly."

"While rapid and convenient, it shares the advantages of intracutaneous testing that include a high level of sensitivity (comparable to that of intracutaneous testing with 1:1000 dilution of antigens wt/vol) and a comparable level of reproducibility. Further, Multi-Test is particularly adaptable for standardization of antigen application, interpretation of reactions and scoring, an attribute that is increasingly important in modern practice."

"When Multi-Test and Morrow Brown skin test results from antigens on the upper and lower right side of the back were compared with their duplicates on the left side, the correlation between reaction sizes was better with Multi-Test. The Pearson correlation coefficient for the Multi-Test of 0.91 was superior to that of the Morrow Brown needle which was 0.47."

"Finally, when patients were asked which skin test device they preferred, 29 out of 30 chose the Multi-Test. The principal reasons were that it was less painful because it diffused the pain and its quicker application."

"In conclusion, our experiences with Multi-Test, both in routine clinical use and under controlled study conditions, have been highly satisfactory and we have found this technique reliable, convenient and well accepted by patients."

"An important observation from our study is that Multi-Test affords the user greater protection against blood-borne diseases than other skin testing techniques. Its construction and method of application are such that the user's fingers and hands are not in close proximity to any bleeding that might occur on the patient's skin. In addition, the design of Multi-Test and its method of administration greatly reduce the risk of inadvertent pricking of the user's skin."

"We found the Multi-Test technique of skin testing to be rapid, convenient, and well accepted by patients. Reproducibility of test results from Multi-Test was high, and variability of results between users low. We concluded that the Multi-Test technique of skin testing provided sufficient precision, sensitivity, and specificity to be classified as a reliable in-office diagnostic procedure."

"To answer the question of whether proximity of Multi-Test skin test sites causes false positive reactions, 50 subjects with prior 4+ skin test responses were retested with antigens and ten additional subjects were tested with histamine (1.8 mg/ml). No positive readings occurred at any of the replicate saline control sites adjacent to 3+ or 4+ allergen sites or to 3+ histamine reactions."

"Our results would indicate that the proximity of test head sites does not contribute to false positive responses, and that those who use Multi-Test may be assured of the immunologic accuracy of positive skin test results."

"Allergy skin tests can be very helpful in evaluating chronic rhinitis and should especially be directed to those with an allergy history and/or nasal eosinophilia with or without basophilic cells. A sterile, disposable, multi-head puncture device, MULTI-TEST, provides a convenient, rapid and sensitive technique."

"This study demonstrates that percutaneous administration of histamine with a MULTITEST device is a simple, rapid, reproducible method that permits the measurement of dose-related histamine responses in vivo in an acceptably precise manner. This method minimizes the requirement for skill that is known to be essential for reproducible testing by intradermal or needle-prick methods."

"The Multitest holds a standard amount of antigen and when applied according to manufacturer's directions produces a uniform depth of puncture."

"The reproducibility of Multitest was evaluated by one investigator on 33 patients. Data are shown in Table III. The total percentage agreement was 85%, which may be considered excellent for this type of procedure. The percentage agreement could have been much higher had the criteria not been so stringent."

"The intradermal test was always positive in patients but induced two false positive reactions. All prick test methods gave false negative reactions. The Multi-Test device produced intermediate reactions between prick test and intradermal test."

"Multi-Test gave the best correlations among all four skin tests and specific IgE antibody titers."

"This study demonstrates that percutaneous administration of histamine with a MULTITEST device is a simple, rapid, reproducible method that permits the measurement of dose-related histamine responses in vivo in an acceptably precise manner. This method minimizes the requirement for skill that is known to be essential for reproducible testing by intradermal or needle-prick methods."

"Skin testing is rapid and relatively painless. Because such a small quantity of antigen is introduced into the epidermis, the likelihood of an anaphylactic reaction is minimized."

"The Multi-Test device lends itself admirably to the standardization of testing technique, a goal greatly desired in allergy practice. A reasonably uniform amount of glycerinated material is deposited in a constant area of 2mm with penetration limited to the epidermis. Because of the simultaneous and standardized application, reactions to controls and antigens can be meaningfully compared."

"Skin test responses to glycerinated inhalant antigens, 1:20 or 1:10 w/v, administered by Multi-Test were comparable to those obtained from the same antigens applied intradermally in aqueous dilutions of 1:1000 or 1:1500 w/v."