Creating another barrier to the transmission of bloodborne operative infections with a new glove gauntlet.

While disposable surgical gowns are designed to be either liquid-resistant or liquid-proof apparel, the woven cuffs of surgical gowns are easily permeable to water, an invitation to the transmission of bloodborne infections. Regent Medical has redesigned the diameter of some of its surgical glove gauntlets to enhance the security of the glove/surgical cuff interface. The purpose of this biomechanical performance study was to evaluate the benefit of a narrow glove gauntlet in enhancing the security of the gown and cuff interface. Using three types of disposable gown, the narrow glove gauntlet significantly increased the security of the gown-glove interface. On the basis of this biomechanical performance study, Regent Medical has announced that it will be using this narrow glove gauntlet design on more of their glove products to further reduce the transmission of bloodborne operative infections.