Choosing surgical gloves is a sensitive decision, balanced as it is between surgeons' preferences and price. When considering the range of glove options on the market, nothing compares to hands-on trials, but several product specifications offer a view into what distinguishes one glove from another. As a step toward selecting the right gloves for your personnel and procedures, our pullout section provides the quantifiable aspects of 18 types from 10 manufacturers.

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Why aren't prices included in the chart? Nearly every manufacturer declined to disclose list or market pricing for their products on grounds that differences in distributors, purchasing arrangements and competitive climates made such figures highly variable. Here's a look at what is included in the chart.

• Glove material. While natural rubber latex is still considered the gold standard for barrier protection, four synthetic alternatives now exist of comparable strength without latex's potential for allergic reactions. Neoprene (also known as polychloroprene), nitrile and polyisoprene gloves can be more expensive than latex, while polyvinyl chloride is comparable in cost.
• Thickness. A thicker glove can mean durability, but thinner gloves offer greater tactile sensitivity. Plus, you'll have to consider whether double-gloving is common practice among your surgeons and staff. Materials management experts recommend matching gloves to procedure - thinner gloves for ophthalmology and thicker ones for orthopedics, for instance - while making sure that you don't buy (and use) more or less glove than you need.
• Tensile strength. Tensile strength, the measure of force required to break a surgical glove, is a key indicator of its barrier protection. The federal government's FDA and the independent American Society for Testing and Materials require it to be measured in megapascals, a metric unit of pressure or stress equal to 145.038 pounds per square inch. A higher number indicates a stronger glove. Some manufacturers have provided "aged" and "unaged" tensile strength specifications. These indicate results before and after standardized heat testing to simulate one year of normal aging.
• Elongation. Elongation is a function of a glove's elasticity, describing how far a glove can be stretched before it breaks. Given as a percentage beyond a glove's normal manufactured length, a larger elongation number means a stronger glove. Again, some manufacturers have provided "aged" and "unaged" numbers.
• Modulus. Perhaps the closest specification there is to quantifying fit, modulus is the amount of pressure a stretched glove places on the hand inside. It's also described as resistance to movement, the amount of effort required to elongate the glove, material stiffness or squeeze. Modulus is measured in megapascals. A glove with high modulus feels tight and may cause hand fatigue, while a lower modulus glove of the same dimensions may be more comfortable.
• Total protein content. The amount of potentially allergenic natural rubber latex proteins in a glove is measured in micrograms per gram. Lower levels of protein allergens are believed to reduce the risk of reaction. This figure is, of course, not applicable to synthetic gloves. Powder-free gloves combat the aerosolization of latex proteins, while low-powder, low-protein and deproteinised products also offer alternatives.
• Leaks. Most manufacturers' gloves are randomly sampled for visual inspection and water leak testing per federal standards. This specification is reported in acceptable quality level, or AQL. According to FDA standards, gloves must exhibit an AQL of 2.5 defects per thousand or fewer.