Powder-free Surgical Gloves Research Articles

Comparison of the Effects of Powdered and Powder-free Surgical Gloves on Postlaparotomy Peritoneal Adhesions in Rats

1 Department of Surgery, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, IR Iran 2 Cellular and Molecular Research Centre, Department of Pharmacology, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, IR Iran 3 Department of Pathology, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, IR Iran 4 Department of Biostatistics, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, IR Iran 5 Shefa Neuroscience Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran

Conversion to Low-Protein, Powder-Free Surgical Gloves: Is it Worth the Cost?

This study was conducted to determine changes in overall costs associated with conversion to powder-free gloves including cost of workers' compensation cases for natural rubber latex (NRL)-related symptoms and health care workers' glove satisfaction. The study, a 2-year, longitudinal design with retrospective and prospective aspects, was developed to determine health care worker use of powder-free, low-protein NRL gloves, sensitization, cost, and glove satisfaction. Informed consent was obtained from 103 health care workers. Prior to glove conversion, nearly one-half (44%, 36 of 82) of the operating room staff reported symptoms related to NRL exposure. At the end of the 14-month data collection period, only 27% (22 of 82, McNemar test = .007) reported symptoms related to NRL exposure. Additionally, a cost savings of 10,000 dollars per year for gloves was evident with reports of increased user satisfaction. This study demonstrated that conversion to the use of powder-free, low-protein NRL gloves not only reduces health care worker NRL symptoms, but also positively affects the costs of glove purchases and workers' compensation.

Biomechanical performance of latex and non-latex double-glove systems.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate ten commercially available latex, powder-free surgical gloves and four commercially available non-latex, powder-free surgical gloves using standardized, reproducible biomechanical parameters that included glove thickness, puncture resistance, and glove donning force. For all gloves tested, with one exception (Neolontrade mark PF), puncture resistance increased for double-gloves as compared to single-gloves. In addition, single-glove thickness was not a reliable determinant of puncture resistance for either latex or non-latex gloves. For the latex gloves, the Ultrafree double and single-gloves exhibited the highest puncture resistance. The glove donning forces for the Biogeltrade mark M and Biogel Sensortrade mark single-gloves were the lowest. In contrast, the Biogel Revealtrade mark and Encoretrade mark Ultra-Thick exhibited the lowest double-glove donning forces. On the basis of these performance tests of latex gloves, the surgeon should consider the Biogel Reveal as well as the Ultrafree gloves for their latex double-glove system. For the non-latex gloves, the Pure Advantage Nitriletrade mark glove had the highest puncture resistance for one layer and two layers of glove material. The thin Pure Advantage Nitrile glove was the most resistant to glove puncture. The Pure Advantage Nitrile glove had low glove donning forces for both single-glove donning configurations and double-glove donning configurations. Consequently, we recommend the Pure Advantage Nitrile glove as the powder-free, non-latex, double-glove system.

Ease of donning surgical gloves: An important consideration in glove selection

It is a commonly held belief among physicians that powder free surgical gloves are more difficult to don than cornstarch powdered gloves. This difficulty is supposedly enhanced when the physician's hands are wet, a situation commonly encountered when regloving during surgical procedures. This investigation dispels these beliefs by demonstrating that the forces required to don powder free gloves do not differ significantly from those required to don gloves coated in cornstarch lubricant. Moreover, Biogel TM, a new powder free glove with an inner hydrogel lining, is shown to don easily and safely without ripping, even with wet hands, a circumstance not encountered with other gloves.

Risk Factors for the Development of Encapsulated Filtering Blebs: The Role of Surgical Glove Powder and 5-fluorouracil

To study risk factors for the development of encapsulated filtering bleb, especially the effect of surgical glove powder and 5-fluorouracil on the development of encapsulated blebs. One hundred forty-eight patients who underwent trabeculectomy were prospectively studied. After patient of each surgeon were divided into two subgroups of 5-fluorouracil versus no 5-fluorouracil, each subgroup was then randomized for powder versus powder-free surgical gloves. All patients were followed for at least 2 months (mean, 3.5 months; range, 2-10 months). The overall incidence of encapsulated bleb was 11.2% when an encapsulated bleb was defined by clinical characteristics with a peak intraocular pressure of 26 mmHg or higher. The group that received 5-fluorouracil had a lower incidence of encapsulated blebs despite a higher rate of previous surgeries, whereas the group with powdered gloves had increased incidence. The subgroup in which powder-free gloves were used in conjunction with postoperative injections of 5-fluorouracil had the lowest incidence of encapsulated blebs (2.6%) compared with the other subgroups (12.0%-17.9%) (P = 0.01). Combined use of powder-free surgical gloves and 5-fluorouracil may reduce the incidence of encapsulated bleb.

A plea for powder-free surgical gloves

I have always been amazed by the profound impact of the trials and tribulations during our childhood, and how they can change and influence our journeys through life. I can vividly remember how my mother’s bouts of intestinal obstruction provided a diiection to my career in medicine (Figure 1). When I was 11 years old, my mother had abdominal surgery for a large benign ovarian cyst. As we celebrated the good news about her surgery, our family had no idea that this surgery was just the beginning of a devastating illness, recurrent intestinal obstruction. During the next 4 years, she had repeated attacks of intestinal obstruction caused by adhesions. I remember distinctly her complaints of abdominal distension that were associated with intermittent episodes of abdominal pain. She was readmitted to the hospital for emergency surgery three times to relieve the recurrent intestinal obstructions. Her frequent hospitalizations left my father, a family practitioner, to nurture and support me and my two brothers. His graphic discussions of her surgical treatment were intended to provide us with hope that she would recover quickly without further surgical interventions. He described to us the surgeon’s copious lavage of her abdominal cavity with saline in hopes of removing the causes for adhesion formation. Despite my father’s assurances, I felt considerable uncertainty and despair about my mother’s illness. When I received a Ford Foundation scholarship for early admission to college at the age of 15, it gave me an opportunity to escape from our home, which was paralyzed by the fear of my mother’s next hospitalization. I entered Lafayette College with mixed emotions. While I was honored to be accepted into a pioneering educational program for gifted students, I also felt enormous guilt in abandoning my mother with the realization that I was not able to help her. My profound sadness coupled with guilt were the stimuli for my pursuit of studies of intestinal obstruction during the last 25 years. In 1962, I was 22 years old, and my heart was set on a career in academic medicine. Because the door of the Department of Surgery at the University of Minnesota was open to all aspiring residents interested in a career in teaching, I was prepared to immerse myself in the waters of that academic village. Dr. Owen Wangensteen, one of the great teachers of surgery of this century, was the chairman of the department, and his major academic objective was to create an atmosphere that was friendly to learning (1). One of Dr. Wangensteen’s most important contributions to surgery was the management of intestinal obstruction with the application of suction to an indwelling gastrointestinal tube. This conservative management of acute intestinal obstruction was essentially a team effort. Success with conservative decompression demands that the team have an enthusiastic and experienced intubator. Dr. Wangensteen encouraged each resident to take the lead in this field. I joined the team by developing a directional fmgerlike balloon at the very end of the tube that facilitated intubation of the duodenum, even in patients with great distension (2). He felt that this development extended the techniques of intestinal intubation

Perry Encore??? hypoallergenic powder-free surgical gloves

Perry Encore??? hypoallergenic powder-free surgical gloves