The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume
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J Bone Joint Surg Am · Jun 1981
Efficacy of double-gloving as a barrier to microbial contamination during total joint arthroplasty.
After ten total hip replacements in which a double-glove technique was used, 275 outer and inner gloves were tested for microbial contamination and for holes. The operating rooms were equipped with specially designed air-filtration mechanisms. The results indicated that the gloves that most frequently were contaminated were the ones used exclusively for draping. This finding suggests that using a separate pair of outer gloves only for draping is a valuable technique during total hip replacement. ⋯ Although the practice of using double gloves during a total joint-replacement procedure is accepted widely, there is little evidence that double-gloving actually decreases microbial contamination. The results of this study indicate that changing outer gloves at appropriate times during the procedure is indeed an important way to minimize contamination.