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Failure rates in nonlatex surgical gloves
Denise M Korniewicz1, Laurel Garzon, Judy Seltzer
1University of Miami School of Nursing, School of Medicine, Department of Surgery and Epidemiology, Coral Gables, FL 33124, USA. dkorniewicz@miami.edu
American Journal of Infection Control
|August 5, 2004
Summary
Nonlatex surgical gloves showed higher defect rates and lower satisfaction than latex gloves. Both types require changing every 2-3 hours to maintain barrier integrity during surgery.
Area of Science:
- Medical Devices
- Surgical Safety
- Materials Science
Background:
- Nonlatex surgical gloves are increasingly used as alternatives to latex.
- Assessing the performance and user acceptance of nonlatex gloves is crucial for surgical safety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare defect rates of nonlatex surgical gloves versus latex gloves during routine surgery.
- To evaluate surgeon and resident satisfaction with nonlatex sterile gloves.
Main Methods:
- Tested two brands of latex and six brands of nonlatex surgical gloves.
- Utilized an automated water test machine (FDA-consistent) to assess barrier integrity and visual defects.
- Analyzed 6,386 gloves from 101 surgeons and 164 residents across 15 surgical services.
Main Results:
- Nonlatex surgical gloves exhibited higher after-use defect rates compared to latex gloves.
- Increased duration of use correlated with higher defect rates in certain surgical specialties.
- Surgeons and residents reported lower satisfaction with nonlatex surgical gloves.
Conclusions:
- While both latex and nonlatex gloves offer adequate barrier protection when intact, nonlatex gloves demonstrate higher failure rates.
- User satisfaction is notably lower with nonlatex surgical gloves.
- Both latex and nonlatex gloves should be replaced every 2 to 3 hours to prevent compromised barrier protection due to extended use.