Undetected surgical glove perforation during emergency procedures

Gloves are the most important barriers that protect hospital personnel and patients. Unfortunately, glove perforation rates reach up to 78% in high risk procedures. The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the glove perforation rate in emergency procedures carried out in the Emergency Service of 'Santa Casa de São Paulo', School of Medicine. The study analyzed all gloves used in the emergency room during a 2 months period. Gloves were tested immediately after the surgical procedure using the approved standardized water leak method. A total of 252 surgical gloves used by residents in 42 surgical procedures and 2361 gloves used in emergency procedures were tested for the presence of punctures by the water insuflation method. Forty one (16.3%) of the gloves tested showed at least one puncture, 18 (33%) in traumatic emergencies. The overall perforation rate in the emergency room was 7,3%. We concluded that the incidence of punctures in gloves during surgical procedures was high, and occurred mostly with surgeons.