Electrical-conductivity testing of latex gloves

There is an increasing awareness in the healthcare field that gloves worn for protection from hazards associated with body fluids do not always afford the protection desired. Gloves may have defects, such as holes, as they come from the manufacturer or distributor, or they may become defective during storage or use. While the numbers vary widely, failure rates for new gloves, defined as detectable holes in gloves prior to use, for unused examination gloves are reported as high as 58%. Rates as high as 7% have been reported for sterile latex gloves. Incidences of breaching the latex barrier during use vary with procedure but have been reported as high as 50%. In recent years, a number of devices have been developed to detect holes in latex gloves as they are being worn. Detection of increased electrical conductivity that takes place through the holes in the gloves is used to activate an audible alarm. The primary purpose of this research was to investigate the validity of this method for hole detection. This evaluation was accomplished with both basic laboratory equipment and commercially available instruments. We did not evaluate or critically compare the individual devices. We also investigated the use of electricalmore » conductivity as a quality assurance (QA) procedure, and the degradation of latex gloves due to storage and exposure to laboratory atmospheres and disinfectants.« less