Abstract
The potential for blood contact with nonintact skin puts operating room personnel at an increased risk of exposure to hepatitis or HIV virus. Frank needle-stick injury to the surgeon has been shown to occur once every 20-40 operations. It has been shown that blood contact exposure during aesthetic surgery occurs in 32% of the operations in which a single pair of surgical gloves is used (surgeon 39.7%, assistant 23%). The reduction of blood contact exposure during aesthetic surgical procedures by using two pairs of gloves was tested and demonstrated. Contact rates decreased by 70%. Outer-glove perforations occurred in 25.6% of the cases, while inner-glove perforations occurred in only 10% of the cases (surgeon 8.7%, assistant 3.5%). All of the inner-glove perforations occurred during procedures that lasted longer than two hours, and in no case was there an inner-glove defect without a corresponding outer-glove perforation. The nondominant index forger (33%) was the most common location. Double gloving during aesthetic procedures reduced the operating room personnel's risk of blood contact exposure by 70% when compared with single-glove use.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 265-267 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Aesthetic Plastic Surgery |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 1 1995 |
Keywords
- Aesthetic surgery
- Blood
- Gloves
- Occupational exposure
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Surgery