Purpose: to determine the frequency of glove perforation during obstetric and gynecologic procedures comparing with other medical specialties. The perception of the event by the gynecologist-obstetrician and the other specialists was analyzed and compared. Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted, from March to October, 1997. To search a perforation 1525 surgical gloves of a private hospital were evaluated. At the conclusion of surgery, the gloves were filled with water and submitted to a gentle pressure to identify any leaking. At this moment, trained personal asked surgeons whether a perforation was recognized intraoperatively. The procedures in gynecology-obstetrics (study group) were compared with other procedures (control group). Surgeon's perception of the accident were also compared between groups. Results: among the 1113 gynecologic-obstetrical procedures there were 19.3% perforations. This figure for the other procedures together was 18.7%. The observed difference between groups was not significant (p>0.10). The perception of the event by the gynecologist-obstetrician was 29.8% and by the other specialists together was 31.2%. This difference was not statistically significant (p>0.10). Conclusions: Despite the relatively high frequency of surgical glove perforations, the gynecologist-obstetrician is not at increased risk of contracting an infectious disease compared to other professionals. Likewise, the perception of the event by the gynecologist-obstetrician and other specialists is similar. The results of the present investigation confirm the importance of intraoperative care with surgical glove perforation.
Occupational accidents; Surgery: complications; Nosocomial infection; Puerperal infection
