Surgical Gloves: Can they be Re-used?



 Surgical gloves are a very important part of 

a surgeon or physician’s every day apparel. 











These gloves are designed to protect 

both the health care provider and the patient 

from exchanging dangerous pathogens and contaminants. Gloves must be thrown away after every use in order to ensure doctors and surgeons are safe from potential diseases.



Back in the 1980’s, hospitals around 

the world used to routinely wash, powder, 

pack and re-sterilize surgical gloves.



Research has shown that there is a direct relationship between the breakdown of the latex glove barrier and the number of times worn. Although the deterioration of the gloves is not always visible to the human eye, it inevitably occurs with each use. It is risky to rely on the subjective judgment of hospital workers to decide when a surgical glove is no longer a reliable instrument. One of the main problems is that the defective glove may not be obvious to the user. 


However, the more the gloves were 

re-processed, the less effective they were in preventing cross-contamination, and the less comfortable they became in comparison with recently manufactured gloves. 




Past surveys have concluded that only 50% 

of surgical glove punctures are noticed by the 

wearer. Therefore, it is obvious that the risk of 

infection to both health worker and patient increases based on how long the surgical glove is worn, 

especially if the glove is being re-used.






Modern surgical gloves are designed for 

conditions that are based on the most recent 

science. They are made out of durable material but 

are also very thin to ensure that surgeons have full 

function and sensitivity of theirhands. They are also 

made to be as comfortable as possible to avoid any 

discomfort during long surgical procedures. 

These surgical gloves were never intended for over 

extended use or re-sterilization, and re-used surgical 

gloves shouldnever be relied on to provide and 

maintain a strong and sterile barrier for safety.



· END ·


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