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Vernon J. Henderson, MD
Atlanta, Ga

Arch Surg. 2000;135:985.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Muto and associates present an elegant and simple study of water leakage rates as a function of latex content among FDA-approved sterile and nonsterile gloves. They demonstrated consistent superior performance of both high-latex surgical and examination gloves, and wide variability in water leakage rates of low-latex and nonlatex surgical gloves in both categories. The superiority of gloves with high latex content for protection from blood-borne pathogens would be the straightforward and indisputable conclusion from this study were it not for the increasing incidence of latex allergies among health care workers. This study unveils the variability of protection provided by FDA-approved low-latex and nonlatex surgical and examination gloves. Workers with latex allergies, and those wishing to avoid latex exposure, should choose carefully among the alternative low-latex and nonlatex gloves. Without this study, the choice among nonlatex and low-latex gloves, given their comparatively high costs, might otherwise be . . . [Full Text of this Article]

RELATED ARTICLE

Glove Leakage Rates as a Function of Latex Content and Brand: Caveat Emptor
Carlene A. Muto, Maria G. Sistrom, Barbara A. Strain, and Barry M. Farr
Arch Surg. 2000;135(8):982-985.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT