What Medical Gloves Should I Use?

One form of glove being used not only for medical purposes but also for cleaning and any other activity that requires protection for the hands is the nitrile glove. Nitrile is a synthetic rubber copolymer. The fabric will differ according to how much nitrile is in the fabric—the more nitrile, the higher resistance to oils but the lower flexibility.

Nitrile gloves are usually resistant to oil, fuel, and chemicals. Because they are so resilient, they lend themselves extremely well to disposable lab, cleaning, and examination gloves.

The automobile industry uses this substance to make hoses to handle fuel and oil. It can withstand a range of temperatures, so it can be relied upon to hold together under almost any condition—the perfect disposable glove. While they are not quite as strong and flexible as rubber gloves, they are more resistant to oils and acids. They are also more puncture resistant than latex gloves or vinyl gloves.

On the other hand, rubber gloves are not typically used in a medical setting. Rather, they are good dishwashing gloves because they protect from detergent and most importantly hot water. These have been used in homes since the 1960s. Traditional colors are yellow or pink and they usually have long cuffs although they can be found in wrist length and elbow length, depending on what the buyer is looking for.

Professional cleaners usually use rubber gloves because they are thick enough and cover the arms well enough to provide protection for any general cleaning task that comes along.

Latex is the form of rubber most often used in household gloves and may have a cotton flocking lining to make it easier to get them on and off. Some people prefer the unflocked version since they are more like the natural hand; however, some people are allergic to latex and cannot use these. Also, they don’t protect as well as gloves made from other substances from harmful substances like solvents.

Other materials that get around the allergy problem and offer better protection are PVC, nitrile (described above), neoprene, and natural rubber. In recent years, disposable “rubber” gloves have become so affordable and so available that most households keep a supply on hand for the many tasks that call for protecting the hands.

Medical gloves are required for almost any medical activity that involves patients. The reason for this requirement is that sanitary hospital conditions are vital to the welfare of patients. Many infectious agents have become antibiotic-resistant in recent years and hospitals have tended to become places where people go to become very ill instead of places where patients can expect to be cured. Hospital administrators and other healthcare professionals have become very protective of their environments. A high rate of infection in an institution is very troublesome and to be avoided at any cost.

Historically, latex has been the fabric of choice, particularly for surgeons, because these gloves are essentially a second skin. The surgeon is not hampered in using his hands to diagnose and evaluate, not to mention to carry out delicate surgical procedures. Latex allergy has become increasingly troublesome, not only for the medical professional but also for patients; for that reason, many combinations of materials have been tried with some success. However, surgeons, for the most part, still prefer the latex gloves.

For extraordinary prices on disposable “rubber” gloves of all kinds, go to Vitality Medical’s website. You will find surprisingly low prices on quantities of 100 or 1,000.