Surgical glove perforation during laparoscopic colorectal procedures

Area of Science:

• Surgical Innovation
• Infection Control
• Minimally Invasive Surgery

Background:

• Conventional open surgery shows a 10% surgical glove perforation rate.
• Double gloving or routine changes are recommended for open surgery.
• Glove perforation rates in laparoscopic colorectal surgery remain unquantified.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the surgical glove perforation rate during laparoscopic colorectal surgery.
• To assess the correlation between glove perforation and surgical site infections (SSIs).

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 616 surgical gloves from 77 laparoscopic colorectal surgeries.
• Testing for perforation using the EN455-1 standard water-leak test.

Main Results:

• A perforation rate of 1.1% (7 perforations) was detected.
• No significant correlation found between glove perforation and SSIs (p=0.92).
• Procedure duration was not a significant risk factor for perforation (p=0.41).

Conclusions:

• Surgical glove perforation occurs in laparoscopic colorectal surgery, albeit at a lower rate than in open surgery.
• Double gloving is recommended primarily to protect medical personnel from patient-related infections.
• Glove perforation is not a significant factor in causing SSIs in these procedures.