Hepatitis C: the real danger to surgeons(1)

Efficacy of double gloving with an intrinsic indicator system

BACKGROUND

Blood-borne infection is an ever-present fear for medical professionals, especially surgeons and operating room personnel. Safety is paramount, and the reliability and efficacy of surgical gloves are crucial, as gloves are the most important barriers protecting hospital personnel and patients. Unfortunately, glove perforation rates are as high as 78% in high-risk procedures. As well as being efficacious, surgical gloves must be comfortable and easy to don, and when holes are present, it is imperative they be detected expeditiously. The purpose of this double-blind randomized study was to evaluate the ability of participants to locate 30-micron laser holes in surgical gloves while performing simulated surgery and to evaluate the Biogel Indicator Glove System, which reveals punctures.

METHODS

Twenty glove configurations (eight single, twelve double) were tested, half of which had laser-created holes. Each of the 25 participants tested and evaluated 20 configurations randomly. Simulated surgery terminated when a hole was identified by the participant or at the end of two minutes, whichever occurred first. Participants also rated their perceptions of each glove's features on questionnaires, all of which were returned, with 95.8% being complete.

RESULTS

Participants found 84% and 56% of the holes in the two indicator systems, latex and synthetic, in an average of 22 seconds and 42 seconds, respectively. In the worst-performing latex and synthetic glove configurations, participants found only 8% and 12% of the holes at an average of 47 seconds and 67 seconds, respectively. Indicator gloves were highly rated for comfort and ease of use.

CONCLUSIONS

Double gloving with an indicator system provides the best protection and allows the timeliest identification of perforations. Participants failed to identify most of the holes in the non-indicator gloves.