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. 2003 Dec;95(12):1184–1188.

Incidence of glove failure during orthopedic operations and the protective effect of double gloves.

Lateef O A Thanni 1, W Yinusa 1
PMCID: PMC2594859  PMID: 14717474

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the usefulness of double gloves in protecting against the exposure of surgical team members' hands to blood. METHODOLOGY: Five-hundred-ninety-six gloves were studied during 71 orthopedic operations using the water-loading test (filling a glove with water and occluding its cuff tightly to identify leaking points). RESULTS: In all, 73 glove perforations occurred, but only nine resulted in exposure to blood (blood touching the skin). The incidence of glove perforation was 12% (73/596), and overall exposure (blood touching the skin) per operation was 13% (9/71). The latter would have been 87% (62/71) but for the use of double gloves. Sixteen percent of the perforations in double gloves were in the inner gloves, while 84% were in the outer gloves. Exposure of surgeons was reduced from 54% to 10%, first assistants from 27% to 3%, and second assistants from 7% to 0 (p < 0.02, df = 2) by double-gloving. Significantly more perforations occurred during operations on bone, compared with soft tissue operations, p < 0.0001, RR = 4 (95% CL 1.87-8.55). The most common sites of glove perforation were the index finger (47%), thumb, and the palm region: 14% each. More glove perforations occurred in nondominant hands. CONCLUSION: Double-gloving offers additional protection to surgeons and assistants by preventing hand exposure to blood intraoperatively.

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Selected References

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