Knitted outer gloves in primary hip and knee arthroplasty

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Infectious Disease Prevention
• Surgical Safety

Background:

• Double gloving is standard practice in hip and knee arthroplasty to prevent surgical site infections.
• Latex gloves are commonly used, but perforations can compromise barrier integrity.
• The risk and detection rate of inner glove perforations during these procedures require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the perforation rates of inner latex gloves when used with either latex or knitted outer gloves during hip and knee arthroplasty.
• To assess the impact of outer glove material on the incidence of undetected inner glove perforations.
• To evaluate surgical team satisfaction with different double gloving systems.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving surgical teams performing hip and knee arthroplasty.
• Participants were assigned to either standard double latex gloving or a combination of an inner latex glove and an outer knitted glove.
• Inner gloves were systematically tested for perforations post-procedure, and participants provided subjective satisfaction ratings.

Main Results:

• A total of 406 inner gloves were analyzed over four months.
• Inner glove perforation rates were 23% with latex outer gloves versus 6% with knitted outer gloves.
• Only one of 64 total perforations was detected by the wearer, highlighting the issue of undetected breaches.

Conclusions:

• Wearing knitted outer gloves significantly reduces the risk of inner latex glove perforation during hip and knee arthroplasty (p<0.0001).
• The use of knitted outer gloves enhances the safety and integrity of the surgical glove barrier.
• Further research may explore the cost-effectiveness and broader clinical application of knitted outer gloves in orthopedic surgery.