Allen’s Test

Execution:

1. The patient is asked to make a fist and to open the hand several times as quickly as possible
2. The examiner then compresses the radial and ulnar arteries with the thumbs
3. Afterwards, the patient opens the hand
4. The examiner then releases the radial artery
5. At last, steps 1-3 are repeated and this time the ulnar artery is released.

 

Positive Outcome: Blood does not return quickly (directly, as evident by red coloration) to the hand after releasing the respective artery

Study	Reliability	Sn	Sp	LR+	LR-
Jarvis et al. (2000) 6 sec cut-off	NA	54.5	91.7	6.6	0.5
Jarvis et al. (2000) 5 sec cut-off	NA	79.6	75.8	3.29	0.27
Jarvis et al. (2000) 3 sec cut-off	NA	100	27	1.37	0