Glove perforation in hand surgery.

A survey of glove perforation in 100 consecutive hand surgery operations was undertaken. A total of 397 pairs of gloves were tested for punctures after the operation. Evidence of perforation was found in 19% of the gloves used, and only in 12 cases did the surgeons actually realize that a perforation had occurred. With a perforation rate of 43%, the surgeons were significantly more at risk of glove perforation than the other members of the operating team.