Dye rashes

Physicians may administer intravenous dyes to patients, most commonly to de lineate vascular or urinary anatomy, without an appreciation of the potenti al hazards associated with these compounds. We report two cases in which sk in eruptions followed the intravenous administration of the dyes fluorescei n and methylene blue; these eruptions were the same colors as the dyes. In our first patient, urticaria, which was yellowish in color and fluorescent under a Wood's lamp, occurred after the administration of fluorescein, In t he second patient, painful blue macules appeared randomly on the forearm wi thin 15 seconds after methylene blue was injected into a free-flowing intra venous cannula on the dorsal aspect of the hand.