Punctured surgical gloves and bacterial re‐colonisation of hands during open heart surgery: Implications for prosthetic valve replacement.

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Abstract
Summary: The frequency and distribution of accidentally Punctured surgical gloves were studied during 40 consecutive open heart operations. The efficacy of pre‐operative skin scrubbing and the amount of skin re‐colonisation under gloves were also assessed. Punctures were common, occurring in over 40 per cent of gloves examined but were infrequently recognised at the time of trauma. Pre‐operative hand scrubbing was effective in initially eliminating bacteria but 50 per cent of hands had significant amounts of skin re‐colonisation at the end of each operation. The majority of bacteria cultured were those that most commonly cause early prosthetic valve endocarditis. Greater awareness is needed that glove penetration occurs frequently during open heart surgery and has the potential to contaminate implanted prosthetic valves with bacteria.

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