The Frequency and the Causes of Damages to Surgical Gloves in Orthopedic Surgeries

During surgery, the surgery team is in contact with infectious and pathogenic microorganisms. Surgical gloves prevent the transmission of contamination between surgical team members and the patient, which is more important in orthopedic surgeries due to the presence of sharp and winning devices. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of damage of surgical gloves, and identify the factors involved in these damages in orthopedic surgeries. In this descriptive-analytical study, 384 surgical gloves (192 pairs) used in surgical procedures for palpation of the hands and feet were selected via simple sampling method. To determine the degree of damage of surgical gloves, a water leak test was used. The data-gathering tool was a researcher-made checklist. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used to analyze the data via SPSS software. The frequency of damage to surgical gloves was 26.8% (103/384). The frequency of damages was 18.8% (36/192) in hand surgeries, and 34.9% (67/192) in foot plating. 33.3% of gloves in hand surgeries and 34.3% in foot surgical procedures had hidden damage. The most common cause of obvious damage to surgical gloves was contact with thick and bone tissues during the procedure. Considering the high rate of gloves damages in orthopedic plating surgery, replacement of gloves during surgery can reduce the transmission of contamination among surgical team members and patients. Considering that the most common cause of damage in surgical gloves was thick and bony tissues, more cautious is suggested during surgical treatment of these tissues.