Incidence of perforations in rubber gloves during ophthalmic surgery

Four percent of rubber gloves worn during ophthalmic surgery had perforations at the end of the procedure. The incidence was 10% in both right- and left-hand gloves of the nurse, 6% in the left-hand glove of the surgeon, and 4% in the right-hand glove of the surgeon. Holes occurred most often in retinal detachment surgery for both the operator (19% for the left hand) and the nurse (17%). All nurses and surgeons were right-handed. The most likely cause for the perforations appeared to be the handling of the needle in the fingers of the left hand while grasping it with a needle holder. The relatively high frequency of perforations in surgeons' and nurses' gloves emphasizes the importance of employing a technique designed to minimize such problems. In addition, consideration should be given to replacement of gloves during long operations.