DOUBLE GLOVING AS SELF-PROTECTION IN ABDOMINAL-SURGERY

Objective: To investigate if double gloving can reduce the rate of per foration of glove barriers during abdominal surgery. Design: Randomise d controlled trial. Setting: County hospital, Denmark. Subjects: 400 g love barriers from principal surgeons and first assistants used at con secutive abdominal operations. Intervention: Each participant was rand omised to wear either a pair of single or double gloves. Main outcome measures: The number of perforated glove barriers in the two study gro ups. Results: 40 single glove barriers perforated (20%) and in 8 of th e double glove group both gloves perforated (4%) (p < 0.001). Glove ba rriers on non-dominant hands were more often perforated than those on dominant hands, and both the duration of the operation and the seniori ty of the doctor were associated with increased rates of perforation. Conclusion: Double gloving reduces the rate of perforation of glove ba rriers during abdominal surgery and thereby the number of episodes in which transmission of disease from patient to surgeon would be possibl e.