Biomaterial Database

Occult surgical glove perforations in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery. 1991

M S Godin, and C J Lavernia, and J P Harris

Department of Surgery, University of California, San Diego Medical Center 92103.

With the advent of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome crisis, it has become imperative that all surgeons minimize their risk of direct contact with the patient's body fluids. In the course of performing surgery, perforations are frequently created in surgical gloves, which often go unnoticed. This study determined the frequency with which occult glove perforations occurred in 134 consecutive head and neck surgical procedures. One thousand fifty gloves (650 gloves used in surgery, 400 unused control gloves) were analyzed for the presence of perforations large enough to permit the passage of fluid. An unrecognized glove perforation was detected in 25% of surgical cases. The duration of surgery correlated strongly and positively with the incidence of perforation. Perforation rates varied widely for specific types of procedures, and are reported for each of the five subdivisions within otolaryngology-head and neck surgery. The implications of these results are described, and recommendations for the use of protective measures, especially in reference to the use of double-gloving, are made.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007239	Infections	Invasion of the host organism by microorganisms or their toxins or by parasites that can cause pathological conditions or diseases.	Infection,Infection and Infestation,Infections and Infestations,Infestation and Infection,Infestations and Infections
D009784	Occupational Diseases	Diseases caused by factors involved in one's employment.	Diseases, Occupational,Occupational Illnesses,Disease, Occupational,Illnesse, Occupational,Illnesses, Occupational,Occupational Disease,Occupational Illnesse
D010036	Otolaryngology	A surgical specialty concerned with the study and treatment of disorders of the ear, nose, and throat.	Otology,Otorhinolaryngology,Laryngology
D011786	Quality Control	A system for verifying and maintaining a desired level of quality in a product or process by careful planning, use of proper equipment, continued inspection, and corrective action as required. (Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed)	Control, Quality,Controls, Quality,Quality Controls
D004868	Equipment Failure	Failure of equipment to perform to standard. The failure may be due to defects or improper use.	Defects, Equipment,Device Failure,Failure, Equipment,Malfunction, Equipment,Medical Device Failure,Misuse, Equipment,Device Failure, Medical,Device Failures, Medical,Failure, Medical Device,Failures, Medical Device,Defect, Equipment,Device Failures,Equipment Defect,Equipment Defects,Equipment Failures,Equipment Malfunction,Equipment Malfunctions,Equipment Misuse,Equipment Misuses,Failure, Device,Failures, Device,Failures, Equipment,Malfunctions, Equipment,Misuses, Equipment
D005932	Gloves, Surgical	Gloves, usually rubber, worn by surgeons, examining physicians, dentists, and other health personnel for the mutual protection of personnel and patient.	Surgical Gloves,Glove, Surgical,Surgical Glove
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D015658	HIV Infections	Includes the spectrum of human immunodeficiency virus infections that range from asymptomatic seropositivity, thru AIDS-related complex (ARC), to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).	HTLV-III Infections,HTLV-III-LAV Infections,T-Lymphotropic Virus Type III Infections, Human,HIV Coinfection,Coinfection, HIV,Coinfections, HIV,HIV Coinfections,HIV Infection,HTLV III Infections,HTLV III LAV Infections,HTLV-III Infection,HTLV-III-LAV Infection,Infection, HIV,Infection, HTLV-III,Infection, HTLV-III-LAV,Infections, HIV,Infections, HTLV-III,Infections, HTLV-III-LAV,T Lymphotropic Virus Type III Infections, Human
D017053	Infection Control	Programs of disease surveillance, generally within health care facilities, designed to investigate, prevent, and control the spread of infections and their causative microorganisms.	Control, Infection