Damage to Cardiologists'Gloves During Cardiac Catheterization, Pacemaker Implantation, and Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty

Glove perforation during catheter laboratory procedures exposes the operator to potentially infected fluids and the patient to wound infection. To assess the extent of this problem, 200 consecutive pairs of surgical gloves worn during cardiac catheterization, percutaneous transluminal coronary angio-plasty (PTCA), or permanent transvenous pacemaker (PPM) insertion were examined for perforations by a water distension test. The overall puncture rate for pairs of gloves was 18%. The rate of glove puncture differed between cardiac catheterization, PPM implantation, and PTCA (21.4%, 25.6%, and 4.8%, respectively; P = 0.018). The incidence of glove damage at cardiac catheterization was significantly higher when arterial access was obtained by a brachial cut-down rather than by the Seldinger technique (25.7% and 11.3%, respectively; P = 0.015) and was independent of operator experience. Glove perforation is common. Operators should be aware of the problem and be particularly vigilent during brachial arteriotomy and PPM implantation, especially when operating on potentially infected patients. (J Interven Cardiol 1991; 4:167–170)