Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.
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sensitivity reactions to accelerator chemicals used during the manu- facturing of some non-latex gloves are important concerns for latex- allergic individuals who adopt the use of non-latex, non-sterile exami- nation or sterile surgical gloves. These chemicals — thiurams, thioureas, carbamates and mercaptobenzothiazole — penetrate the skin and can induce the sensitization of lymphocytes to the specific antigens. Repetitive exposure in sensitized individuals can lead to chronic dermatitis on the wrist and hands. Your staff members might not develop latex sensitivity, but if they have abraded skin — a common trait of surgical team members who scrub in every day — or a genetic predisposition to contact dermati- tis, they might react adversely to the chemicals. Whether or not these chemicals are used to manufacture the synthetic gloves you're consid- ering or already stock is another piece of information your supply pur- chaser will want to obtain. Ideally, your facility should opt for non- latex gloves that do not contain the accelerants. Assess the options Finding the right glove for your surgeons demands some trial and error to determine which they like best. In years past, many facilities formed latex committees comprised of representatives from the med- ical staff and the individual in charge of supply purchasing. That's less common today, because latex allergy isn't as significant a problem as it was in the past, but the committee review process can still prove useful when you're previewing non-latex glove options. Check with the department or person in charge of your supply pur- chasing to ensure they have specifications on the gloves you're con- sidering. The purchasing department at Johns Hopkins did most of the groundwork to identify alternative sources of gloves and negotiate the best price with manufacturers. Refer to the material data safety sheets, which describe the chemical contents of gloves. That's the 1 3 4 O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5