Latex surgical gloves are the most popular gloves used by healthcare professionals. Almost all surgical gloves are latex gloves though nowadays synthetic ones are also available. These gloves are required when invasive surgery is required. They are also used for radiological procedures. They have been the glove of choice in many health care settings.

Size

Latex surgical gloves: Features and benefits

Latex surgical gloves are sterile gloves and are used to prevent cross-infection during the invasive surgery. Apart from their categorization as natural latex or synthetic, they are further classified as specific use or specialty gloves. The choice is based on personal preference and procedure. The commonly used ones are standard white latex, powder-free latex, orthopedic latex gloves.
Latex surgical gloves offer the perfect combination of

Because of their significant thickness and durability, latex surgical gloves allow the required sensitivity during the delicate procedures and perform well in all high-risk, heavy-duty situations. These gloves are manufactured in a slightly tacky texture which makes gripping instruments and objects easier.

Growing popularity

The only drawback of latex surgical gloves is that as they are made from natural latex rubber, a protein-based compound, that can cause allergic reactions and irritations in some people. Due to the increasing rate of allergy among healthcare professionals , there has been an increasing move to manufacture surgical gloves made of non-latex materials like vinyl or nitrile rubber. However, these gloves have not yet replaced latex gloves in surgical procedures, because gloves made of other materials do not fully match the fine control or greater sensitivity to touch that is provided by latex surgical gloves. Moreover, synthetic gloves like nitrile gloves also cost more than the price of their latex counterparts—a fact that has prevented switching over to alternate materials in cost-sensitive environments, such as in many hospitals and healthcare units.