Comparison of bacterial counts in glove juice of surgeons wearing smooth band rings versus those without rings.
BACKGROUND
Removal of rings is recommended before surgeons aseptically prepare for surgical procedures.


OBJECTIVE
This study was undertaken to determine whether there is a difference between bacterial counts under surgical gloves of ring wearers compared with nonring wearers after proper aseptic hand preparation and 3 hours of wear.


METHODS
Twenty volunteer veterinary medical students were divided into 2 groups: One group wore a smooth ring band (without projections or mounted stones) on their ring finger, and the other group did not wear a ring. A modified glove juice method was used to obtain bacterial counts (colony-forming units/mL) inside surgically gloved hands prior to a proper aseptic hand preparation and 3 hours after hand preparation and wear. Each of the pre- and postsurgical glove juice samples were inoculated onto Letheen agar plates, which were incubated aerobically under atmospheric conditions for 48 hours at 35 degrees C. Gloves were tested for perforations using a water pressure test.


RESULTS
No differences, or significant change, in bacterial counts were found before or after surgery between all ring hands and nonring hands or between ring and nonring hands for ringed participants. No differences in bacterial counts were found within perforated versus nonperforated gloves.


CONCLUSIONS
There is no compelling evidence to suggest that surgeons wearing rings possess higher bacterial counts under their gloves during surgery.
Waterman
Tami R
TR
College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA. waterman.20@osu.edu
Smeak
Daniel D
DD
Kowalski
Joseph
J
Hade
Erinn M
EM
D000985:Antisepsis / Q000295:instrumentation; D001207:Asepsis / Q000295:instrumentation; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers; D005932:Gloves, Surgical / Q000382:microbiology*; D006235:Hand Disinfection / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D013542:Sweat / Q000382:microbiology*