title: Use of double gloves to protect the surgeon from blood contact during aesthetic procedures.
abstract: The potential for blood contact with nonintact skin puts operating room personnel at an increased risk of exposure to hepatitis or HIV virus. Frank needle-stick injury to the surgeon has been shown to occur once every 20-40 operations. It has been shown that blood contact exposure during aesthetic surgery occurs in 32% of the operations in which a single pair of surgical gloves is used (surgeon 39.7%, assistant 23%). The reduction of blood contact exposure during aesthetic surgical procedures by using two pairs of gloves was tested and demonstrated. Contact rates decreased by 70%. Outer-glove perforations occurred in 25.6% of the cases, while inner-glove perforations occurred in only 10% of the cases (surgeon 8.7%, assistant 3.5%). All of the inner-glove perforations occurred during procedures that lasted longer than two hours, and in no case was there an inner-glove defect without a corresponding outer-glove perforation. The nondominant index finger (33%) was the most common location. Double gloving during aesthetic procedures reduced the operating room personnel's risk of blood contact exposure by 70% when compared with single-glove use.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Greco
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Garza
mesh_terms: D017848:Blood-Borne Pathogens; D005932:Gloves, Surgical; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016602:Needlestick Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control; D012307:Risk Factors; D013518:Surgery, Plastic