title: Can double gloves improve surgeon-patient barrier efficiency?
abstract: The aim of this study was to compare double gloves (DGs) with single gloves (SGs) during orthopedic and trauma surgery in prevention of blood contact between patients and surgeons. DGs and SGs were collected after orthopedic operations, tested for size, site, and number of perforations. Medical records were reviewed for age, sex, type of operation, duration, and postoperative wound infection. Data were compared using t-test with level of statistical significance at P < 0.05. Five hundred seven operations yielded 1204 DGs and 830 pairs SGs. In DGs, perforations were detected in 220 outer glove and 39 inner glove (10.7%). In SGs, 226 perforations were detected (13.3%). The incidence of perforations in inner gloves of the double indicator glove was 1.6% (P < 0.001). During surgery, perforations were recognized in DGs in 67% compared with 12% in SGs (P < 0.005). This study confirms that DGs form an efficient barrier between patients and surgeons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. drsadat@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Mir
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sadat-Ali
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Al-Habdan
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: AlBluwi
authors.forename: J Ran
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Corea
authors.forename: Abdallah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Othman
authors.forename: Devidas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shriyan
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moussa
authors.forename: Dhakheel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: AlDhakheel
authors.forename: Abdallah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: AlOmran
mesh_terms: D004868:Equipment Failure; D005932:Gloves, Surgical / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009985:Orthopedics; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000601:surgery*