Surgical gloves have changed a lot over the years. Manufacturers have dealt with the big issues, making gloves from latex alternatives, reducing the amount of rubber protein in latex gloves and getting rid of the powder that abraded hands and sometimes caused infection.

But what about the little things that irk the people who wear 10 or more pairs of surgical gloves a day? Each person has his or her own pet peeves, such as gloves that make your hands sweaty in just a few minutes, fingers that are too short or a tightness at the palm that puts your hand to sleep.

We asked readers what they like and don't like about the surgical gloves on the market today and also asked them to describe the perfect glove. It's different for everyone.

Like an old friend
Ideally, in the operating room you shouldn't have to think about your gloves. You shouldn't even notice that they're there. "The perfect glove fits like a great pair of jeans," says Ron Seligman, CRNA, MS, director of perioperative services at Plastic Surgery Specialists in Annapolis, Md. "[It's] not too tight, not too loose, has the ability to conform to the hand with movement and leaves no skin imprints when you take it off."

The glove should create a protective barrier yet still allow for high sensitivity, says Cassie Davis, RN, BSN, OR supervisor at Monroe County Hospital in Forsyth, Ga. It should be "thick enough to provide the best protection possible against sticks, yet still [let you] feel what you are doing," she says. "No powder, but soft."

Not too thick
When non-latex surgical gloves first appeared on the market, their thickness was an issue, says Stuart Wounderly, RN, a staff nurse at the Reading Hospital SurgiCenter at Spring Ridge in Wyomissing, Pa. "Non-latex was thicker and less conforming. Now they seem to be thinner and more compliant," he says.

Indeed, the perfect glove should allow the hand and wrist to move freely, says Theresa Hiller, manager of Madsen Surgery Center at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. "It holds at the wrist but does not make the surgeon's hands go numb." For other wearers, such as Cindy Iannelli, RN, an OR nurse at the Reading Hospital SurgiCenter, the palm is the spot that needs to stretch. "If it's too tight across the palm, your hand falls asleep."

Right for double-gloving
AORN, the CDC and the American College of Surgeons all call for double gloves to be worn during invasive procedures for further protection from infection. But double-gloving has its practical hassles. Without powder it's difficult to don double gloves, says Ms. Iannelli.

Manufacturers have begun to address double-gloving, creating surgical gloves especially designed with a smoother surface to make it easier to don the outer glove. Some people find it difficult to match the right combination of glove sizes for double-gloving, whether that means donning a larger size on the outside or vice versa. "Most people put the smaller one on the outside, but then they can get bunched up in the fingers," says Ms. Iannelli.

Then you need to be able to feel through the two gloves, which can be challenging, especially when using fine instruments and wound closure products. "I use sutures as big as spider spit and eyelashes," says Denise Schlier, CST, a surgical tech at the Reading Hospital SurgiCenter.

Latex loyalists
Not everyone is ditching the latex gloves. "I like latex non-powdered gloves," says Thomas S. Dardarian, DO, an OB-GYN in Glen Mills, Pa. "I wash a lot, and if my hands are cracked, I don't want to absorb any talc." In the office, Dr. Dardarian uses non-latex, non-powdered gloves for patient allergy reasons.

Dr. Dardarian, like others, finds latex gloves to be less slippery. But latex or not, slipperiness is an important issue for many glove wearers, such as Kim Cosgrove, LPN, a surgical tech at the Reading Hospital SurgiCenter, who says gloves need to have the right amount of tackiness to grip instruments.

Color
Color doesn't seem to matter to most glove wearers. However, for a few people the color of the glove is important. "I don't like the blue gloves," says Kathy Marshall, RN. The OR nurse at the Reading Hospital SurgiCenter says blue gloves made it difficult to use blue sutures. Her colleague, Ms. Schlier, finds green gloves distracting.

Richard T. Vagley, MD, FACS, medical director of the Pittsburgh Institute of Plastic Surgery in Pittsburgh, Pa., has found a color he prefers. "More of a honey color than a vanilla color," he says. The deeper color contrasts less with blood that stains the gloves. "More importantly, [it's] less prone to reflect overhead light, minimizing glare," he says.

Got you by the cuff
After donning a gown, your gloves become part of the architecture of the infection protection barrier, holding the cuff of the gown in place so that the unsterile area under the gown is not exposed.

The ideal glove "stays in place on the hands and doesn't roll down at the cuff," says Angie Rowden, RN, BSN, MSN, a nurse manager for endoscopy and special procedures at Carolinas Medical Center-University in Charlotte, N.C.

Sometimes, depending on the combination of glove and gown material, the glove doesn't effectively hold the cuff in place. To remedy this, some newer gloves have a tacky adhesive band, while others have ribs to help hold the cuff. "The ribbing stabilizes the cuff better," says Ms. Schlier.

Tensile strength
The ideal glove is "thin, but made of strong material that allows good sensitivity yet enough protection," says Annemarie Enthoven, RN, CNOR, clinical director at Summit Surgery Center in Santa Barbara, Calif. Ms. Enthoven says that she would also like to see more biodegradable gloves.

Some glove wearers complain about splitting gloves. "If the gloves are old, they seem to dry and crack. The glove splits when you put it on," says Dr. Dardarian. Emily Duncan, RN, BS, CASC, executive director of Lakeland Surgical & Diagnostic Center in Lakeland, Fla., agrees. "Some gloves on the market have more issues with holes and tearing easily. This should be addressed."

Easy on, easy off
The perfect glove is easy to don, especially in emergency situations. "It's very frustrating when you need to set up quickly," says Ms. Rowden. When you take off a glove, your hand shouldn't smell rubbery or feel dried out or prune-like. "Aloe-treated gloves are awesome," says Ms. Schlier.

With so much going on in the operating room, the less you have to think about the glove, the better, say glove wearers. Dr. Dardarian can imagine the ideal version. "A good glove is comfortable and gives the same tactile perception as no glove at all."

Surgical gloves have changed a lot over the years. Manufacturers have dealt with the big issues, making gloves from latex alternatives, reducing the amount of rubber protein in latex gloves and getting rid of the powder that abraded hands and sometimes caused infection.

But what about the little things that irk the people who wear 10 or more pairs of surgical gloves a day? Each person has his or her own pet peeves, such as gloves that make your hands sweaty in just a few minutes, fingers that are too short or a tightness at the palm that puts your hand to sleep.

We asked readers what they like and don't like about the surgical gloves on the market today and also asked them to describe the perfect glove. It's different for everyone.

Like an old friend
Ideally, in the operating room you shouldn't have to think about your gloves. You shouldn't even notice that they're there. "The perfect glove fits like a great pair of jeans," says Ron Seligman, CRNA, MS, director of perioperative services at Plastic Surgery Specialists in Annapolis, Md. "[It's] not too tight, not too loose, has the ability to conform to the hand with movement and leaves no skin imprints when you take it off."

The glove should create a protective barrier yet still allow for high sensitivity, says Cassie Davis, RN, BSN, OR supervisor at Monroe County Hospital in Forsyth, Ga. It should be "thick enough to provide the best protection possible against sticks, yet still [let you] feel what you are doing," she says. "No powder, but soft."

Not too thick
When non-latex surgical gloves first appeared on the market, their thickness was an issue, says Stuart Wounderly, RN, a staff nurse at the Reading Hospital SurgiCenter at Spring Ridge in Wyomissing, Pa. "Non-latex was thicker and less conforming. Now they seem to be thinner and more compliant," he says.

Indeed, the perfect glove should allow the hand and wrist to move freely, says Theresa Hiller, manager of Madsen Surgery Center at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. "It holds at the wrist but does not make the surgeon's hands go numb." For other wearers, such as Cindy Iannelli, RN, an OR nurse at the Reading Hospital SurgiCenter, the palm is the spot that needs to stretch. "If it's too tight across the palm, your hand falls asleep."

Right for double-gloving
AORN, the CDC and the American College of Surgeons all call for double gloves to be worn during invasive procedures for further protection from infection. But double-gloving has its practical hassles. Without powder it's difficult to don double gloves, says Ms. Iannelli.

Manufacturers have begun to address double-gloving, creating surgical gloves especially designed with a smoother surface to make it easier to don the outer glove. Some people find it difficult to match the right combination of glove sizes for double-gloving, whether that means donning a larger size on the outside or vice versa. "Most people put the smaller one on the outside, but then they can get bunched up in the fingers," says Ms. Iannelli.

Then you need to be able to feel through the two gloves, which can be challenging, especially when using fine instruments and wound closure products. "I use sutures as big as spider spit and eyelashes," says Denise Schlier, CST, a surgical tech at the Reading Hospital SurgiCenter.

Latex loyalists
Not everyone is ditching the latex gloves. "I like latex non-powdered gloves," says Thomas S. Dardarian, DO, an OB-GYN in Glen Mills, Pa. "I wash a lot, and if my hands are cracked, I don't want to absorb any talc." In the office, Dr. Dardarian uses non-latex, non-powdered gloves for patient allergy reasons.

Dr. Dardarian, like others, finds latex gloves to be less slippery. But latex or not, slipperiness is an important issue for many glove wearers, such as Kim Cosgrove, LPN, a surgical tech at the Reading Hospital SurgiCenter, who says gloves need to have the right amount of tackiness to grip instruments.

Color
Color doesn't seem to matter to most glove wearers. However, for a few people the color of the glove is important. "I don't like the blue gloves," says Kathy Marshall, RN. The OR nurse at the Reading Hospital SurgiCenter says blue gloves made it difficult to use blue sutures. Her colleague, Ms. Schlier, finds green gloves distracting.

Richard T. Vagley, MD, FACS, medical director of the Pittsburgh Institute of Plastic Surgery in Pittsburgh, Pa., has found a color he prefers. "More of a honey color than a vanilla color," he says. The deeper color contrasts less with blood that stains the gloves. "More importantly, [it's] less prone to reflect overhead light, minimizing glare," he says.

Got you by the cuff
After donning a gown, your gloves become part of the architecture of the infection protection barrier, holding the cuff of the gown in place so that the unsterile area under the gown is not exposed.

The ideal glove "stays in place on the hands and doesn't roll down at the cuff," says Angie Rowden, RN, BSN, MSN, a nurse manager for endoscopy and special procedures at Carolinas Medical Center-University in Charlotte, N.C.

Sometimes, depending on the combination of glove and gown material, the glove doesn't effectively hold the cuff in place. To remedy this, some newer gloves have a tacky adhesive band, while others have ribs to help hold the cuff. "The ribbing stabilizes the cuff better," says Ms. Schlier.

Tensile strength
The ideal glove is "thin, but made of strong material that allows good sensitivity yet enough protection," says Annemarie Enthoven, RN, CNOR, clinical director at Summit Surgery Center in Santa Barbara, Calif. Ms. Enthoven says that she would also like to see more biodegradable gloves.

Some glove wearers complain about splitting gloves. "If the gloves are old, they seem to dry and crack. The glove splits when you put it on," says Dr. Dardarian. Emily Duncan, RN, BS, CASC, executive director of Lakeland Surgical & Diagnostic Center in Lakeland, Fla., agrees. "Some gloves on the market have more issues with holes and tearing easily. This should be addressed."

Easy on, easy off
The perfect glove is easy to don, especially in emergency situations. "It's very frustrating when you need to set up quickly," says Ms. Rowden. When you take off a glove, your hand shouldn't smell rubbery or feel dried out or prune-like. "Aloe-treated gloves are awesome," says Ms. Schlier.

With so much going on in the operating room, the less you have to think about the glove, the better, say glove wearers. Dr. Dardarian can imagine the ideal version. "A good glove is comfortable and gives the same tactile perception as no glove at all."