Journal of Long-Term Effects of Medical Implants

ISSN for PRINT: 1050-6934

For Online Access

Best Paper Award Selection - Editorial Board Site

2003, Volume13

Issue 2

72 pages

DOI: 10.1615/JLongTermEffMedImplants.v13.i2

Issue price - $175.00

Richard F. Edlich
Distinguished Professor of Plastic Surgery, Director of Trauma Prevention, Education, and Research, Trauma Specialists, LLP, Legacy Emanuel Hospital; 22500 NE 128th Circle, Brush Prairie WA 98606, USA; Phone: 360-944-7641, Fax: 360-944-7612

Cynthia L. Heather, BS
Plastic Surgical Research Program, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia

John G. Thacker, PhD
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

Tyler C. Wind, BA
Plastic Surgical Research Program, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia

Cornstarch on surgical gloves is often used as a detackifying agent and a lubricant to facilitate glove donning. During the last century, scientific studies have demonstrated that cornstarch produces tissue injury in literally every part of the body. Because this glove lubricant cannot be removed from the glove, Dr. David Podell, an ophthalmologic surgeon, and his cousin, Howard Podell, a chemical engineer, devised the first powder-free surgical glove that could be donned easily. They coated the inner surface of the surgical glove with a methacrylate polymer lining that was bonded to the natural rubber latex. This special coating acts as a lubricant to facilitate donning with damp, wet, or dry hands. In our earlier experimental studies, we confirmed that these polymer-lined latex gloves could be donned with either wet or dry hands. More recently, the polymer-coated latex gloves were incorporated into a double-glove hole puncture indication system that accurately detected glove holes in the presence of fluid. Because this discovery has been expanded into the development of a non-latex double-glove hole puncture indication system, we have expanded our biomechanical performance studies to examine the glove donning forces of the latex and non-latex glove hole puncture indication systems. The maximum donning forces recorded for the non-latex undergloves were significantly lower than those encountered by the same respective sizes of the latex underglove. The donning forces of the thin Biogel® Super-Sensitive^TM outer gloves were remarkably similar to the donning forces of the Biogel® Indicator^TM undergloves. The thicker Biogel® outer gloves encountered greater donning forces than that noted for the Biogel® Super-Sensitive^TM outer gloves. The donning forces recorded for the non-latex outer gloves were remarkably similar to those noted for the latex Biogel® outer gloves. Because the results of this biomechanical performance study demonstrated that the latex and non-latex double-glove hole puncture indication systems can be easily donned by surgeons using relatively low donning forces, this study provides convincing evidence that these double-glove hole puncture indication systems can be used in all surgical procedures.

DOI: 10.1615/JLongTermEffMedImplants.v13.i2.30 Download article, 6 pages

Article price - $35.00

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