GOWN-GLOVE INTERFACE - A POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO THE DANGER ZONE

The gown-glove interface is the weakest point in the present barrier s ystem of gown and glove protection for the surgeon and other healthcar e professionals who come into direct contact with body liquids. Try it yourself: put on a fluid-resistant gown and surgical gloves. See that the glove cuff is well proximal to the stockinette. Hold your wrist a nd forearm for a moment under running water. Wait a minute to see if y our forearm is wet. A wet forearm during surgery would be a bloodied o ne. We propose a gown redesign that creates a dart at the terminal for earm, sealed by a liquid-proof method, and then similarly sealing the proximal end of the glove to the sleeve (Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 1995;16:488-490).