Do Gloves Provide Adequate Protection Against Infection?

Abstract

In the early 1800s gloves were a foreign concept to surgeons, as a result, patient care suffered, and mortality was high due to poor sanitary conditions in the operating room. This all changed in 1889, where the introduction of the surgical glove completely revolutionized surgical aseptic ideals. Through the work of William Halsted and his desire to help his nurse, Caroline Hampton, who was from suffering contact dermatitis, the first pair of rubber gloves were created. Since this invention, there have been significant advancements in glove technology including the use of latex and non-latex gloves. However, significant problems remain including, perioperative contamination in longer procedures, a false sense of sterility, and no consensus in optimal glove donning procedures. Additional measures including patient preparation, limited handling of tissue specimens, minimal coagulation, and in particular a no-touch strategy need to be continued and optimized to minimize iatrogenic infection and sequelae. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE V: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .