Exposure to blood and body fluids during surgical glove perforation.

Abstract

Perforation of surgical gloves often occurs. Exposure of blood and body fluids pass through these perforation sites, resulting the risk of healthcare-associated infection for both the healthcare worker and the patient. To avoid these risks, double glove and intraoperative glove changes are recommended in many guidelines. The rate of glove perforation is reduced by double glove and glove exchange. However, there are no reports that have examined the exact degree of blood and body fluid exposure that pass-through glove perforations site. In this study, we investigated the frequency of exposure to blood and body fluids through glove perforations in gastrointestinal surgery using the forensic luminol blood tests. The results demonstrated that when glove perforation occurred, blood and body fluids exposure occurred at a high rate of 73.0％ in open surgery and 59.6％ in laparoscopic surgery. Double glove uses in gastrointestinal surgery, not only in open surgery but also in laparoscopic surgery, is thought to reduce the risk of blood and body fluid exposure and to prevent healthcare-associated infections.