Surgical glove perforation in dermatologic surgery.

Abstract

Twenty-eight of 240 (11.7%) pairs of sterile surgical gloves collected from dermatologic surgery clinics had perforations. Only 17.1% of these perforations were known to the wearer at the time of surgery. Equal numbers of perforations were found in gloves of operators and assistants. Perforations were more numerous in dominant-handed gloves. Dermatologic surgeons should consider the incidence of unknown glove perforation when planning surgeries in patients with infectious diseases.