Needlestick fluid transmission through surgical gloves of the same thickness.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Using two gloves during surgical procedures is more protective than one in relation to percutaneous needle injuries, but it remains unclear whether the use of two thin-walled gloves is equally as protective as a single thicker-walled glove.

AIMS:

To compare the volume of contaminant transmitted from fluid-coated solid cutting suture needles through the same thickness of the same glove material made up of differing numbers of layers during simulated needlestick injuries.

METHODS:

A colorimetric enzyme assay was used to determine the volume of fluid transferred through identical glove materials in mechanized simulated needlestick injuries. The needles were mechanically transferred through varying glove layers [zero (control), one and two] where the cumulative thickness of the double layer was equal to the single thicker layer. The force required to puncture the test mater ials was also recorded.

RESULTS:

In simulated 'needlestick' injury experiments, significantly less fluid was transmitted through the double, thin glove layer compared with the single thick layer (P < 0.05). The double, thin glove layer transmitted 16% of needle fluid compared with 21% for the single thicker glove layer. Significantly more force was required to puncture the double layer compared with the single thicker layer (P < 0.05), but for any individual puncture there was no association between the puncture force and the volume of fluid transmitted.

CONCLUSIONS:

A double layer of glove material was more resistant to puncture and removed more enzyme contaminant from a solid cutting suture needle compared with an equivalent single thick layer of glove material.

• Authors: S U Din, M G Tidley
• Journal: Occupational medicine (Oxford, England) (Occup Med (Lond)) Vol. 64 Issue 1 Pg. 39-44 (Jan 2014) ISSN: 1471-8405 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 24265256 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Bacterial Proteins
• Strep-avidin conjugated horseradish peroxidase
• Horseradish Peroxidase

Topics

• Accidents, Occupational (prevention & control)
• Bacterial Proteins
• Equipment Contamination
• Equipment Design
• Gloves, Surgical (statistics & numerical data)
• Horseradish Peroxidase
• Humans
• Immunoenzyme Techniques
• Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional (prevention & control)
• Needles
• Needlestick Injuries (prevention & control)
• Occupational Health