Perforation rates in double latex gloves and protective effects of outer work gloves in a postmortem examination room: A STROBE-compliant study

Abstract

Medical staff face the risk of exposure to blood-borne infectious agents during postmortem examinations. This study investigated the effectiveness of non-slip work gloves worn over 2 layers of surgical latex gloves (outer and inner gloves) as a means of reducing hand and finger injuries. Complete sets of outer and inner gloves worn during postmortem examinations were collected from participating forensic staff. Latex gloves were categorized into 2 groups based on the users' actions during the examination: the wearing group if the wearer wore their work gloves continuously without interruption, and the taking-off group if the wearer removed them at least once. Perforation rates, locations, and shapes were compared between these groups. Outer-glove perforation occurred significantly more often in the taking-off group (n = 102 pairs) than in the wearing group (n = 91 pairs) (30.4% vs 3.8%, P < .001). Inner-glove perforation occurred at rates of 2.0% and 0.5% (P = .38), respectively. The wearers did not incur hand or finger injuries. Perforation rates were similar between the dominant and non-dominant hands (P = .18). Regarding location, gloves were punctured most frequently at the thumb, followed by the index finger. Most examiners (85.6%) did not notice the perforation when the damage occurred. Therefore, we could not confirm that a specific operation within a set of plural operations affected the rate of perforation. Additionally, we could not prove a relationship between glove perforation and each operation performed with/without work gloves. The perforation appearances varied greatly in shape and size, suggesting multiple causes of perforation. The continuous (i.e., uninterrupted) wear of work gloves during postmortem examinations reduced the incidence of perforations in both latex glove layers and thus reduced the risk of hand and finger injury.

Figure 1

Work gloves and latex gloves.

Figure 2

Location of perforations in outer gloves. A. Non-dominant hand. B. Dominant hand. Dominant hands of right- and left-handed people were counted in B.

Figure 3

Appearances and sites of perforations in the outer gloves.

Figure 4

Representative appearance of each perforation in outer gloves. One interval of the scale in I, III, V, and VII represents 1 mm. The scale in IIIa and VIIa represents 1.0 mm. All other scales represent 500 μm. I. Smooth edge, deep curve. II. Rough edge, small V-shaped. III. Smooth edge, gentle curve. IV. Rough edge, almost straight. V. Rough edge, deep curve. VI. Moderate rough edge, gentle S-shaped curve. VII. Smooth edge, large V-shaped. VIII. Others. IX. Excluded perforations in inner gloves without simultaneous perforations in outer gloves.