Needlestick fluid transmission through surgical gloves of the same thickness

Using two gloves during surgical procedures is more protective than one in relation to percutaneous needle injuries, but it remains unclear whether the use of two thin-walled gloves is equally as protective as a single thicker-walled glove.

To compare the volume of contaminant transmitted from fluid-coated solid cutting suture needles through the same thickness of the same glove material made up of differing numbers of layers during simulated needlestick injuries.

A colorimetric enzyme assay was used to determine the volume of fluid transferred through identical glove materials in mechanized simulated needlestick injuries. The needles were mechanically transferred through varying glove layers [zero (control), one and two] where the cumulative thickness of the double layer was equal to the single thicker layer. The force required to puncture the test mater ials was also recorded.

In simulated 'needlestick' injury experiments, significantly less fluid was transmitted through the double, thin glove layer compared with the single thick layer (P < 0.05). The double, thin glove layer transmitted 16% of needle fluid compared with 21% for the single thicker glove layer. Significantly more force was required to puncture the double layer compared with the single thicker layer (P < 0.05), but for any individual puncture there was no association between the puncture force and the volume of fluid transmitted.

A double layer of glove material was more resistant to puncture and removed more enzyme contaminant from a solid cutting suture needle compared with an equivalent single thick layer of glove material.