Understanding the Issues of Double Gloving

TIME OF WEAR – LENGTH OF CASE

The rate of perforation does seem to be related to the length of surgical time according to the literature. The longer the surgical case, the greater the chance for a needlestick or tear in the glove due to a bone fragment or sharp instrument. It has been documented that glove defects are as high as 56% for surgeries that last more than two hours, compared to 20% for surgeries that last less than two hours.¹²

All studies have shown that the incidence of glove defects increase with the duration of surgery and surgery with greater blood loss. The risk of glove perforation increases 1.115 (95% confidence interval) times for every 10 minutes of operating time.¹³ Perforations are significantly higher for emergency cases than they are for regularly scheduled cases as well.



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