The use of double latex gloves during hip fracture operations.
A prospective study was undertaken to determine the perforation rate of surgical gloves when double-gloving techniques were employed in 120 hip fracture operations. One or more perforations occurred in 30 operations (25%). In 10 operations (8.3%), perforations of both the outer and inner gloves occurred at corresponding sites. The surgeons were able to recognize the perforations during the surgery on five occasions only. Of the 64 perforations identified, 41 (64%) occurred in the left (nondominant) hands, and 42 (65.6%) occurred at the tips of thumbs and index fingers. Nearly half of the perforations (46.9%) occurred at the thumb and index finger of left (nondominant) hands. To reduce the perforation rate, further protection of the thumb and index finger of the nondominant hand of surgeons is therefore required.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong.
K Y
KY
Chiu
B
B
Fung
S K
SK
Lau
K H
KH
Ng
S P
SP
Chow
D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004868:Equipment Failure; D005383:Finger Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005932:Gloves, Surgical / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007840:Latex / Q000592:standards; D016602:Needlestick Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D009985:Orthopedics; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011481:Protective Clothing; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology; D013933:Thumb / Q000293:injuries*; D013997:Time Factors
D007840:Latex