5 benefits of latex gloves for medical applications
Would you like to know the benefits of latex gloves to make the best choice when making your purchase? Excellent idea! In this article you will find, in detail, the characteristics of the gloves and their specifications.
Disposable latex gloves are one of the most important items in the medical industry. They must meet strict conditions in order to guarantee the protection of the user and the patient during their use.
Considering that clinical activities and medical staff members need various types and sizes of gloves, choosing the right item can be a real challenge.
Latex gloves have robust and durable material that is suitable for handling sharp objects. That is, a surgeon’s tools. In addition, latex is water repellent and resistant to many acids and alkalis.
However, it does not protect against oils and solvents and, in some cases, may contain allergenic properties that could affect medical personnel during treatments.
You should know all the properties of this product and its alternatives, before buying disposable latex gloves, to make sure you have the most suitable medical equipment.
The following is a guide to the advantages and features of long disposable latex gloves.
1. Some interesting facts about latex gloves
Natural rubber latex gloves, better known as latex gloves, were first invented in 1889 by Dr. William Stewart Halsted, the first chief of surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Their purpose was to prevent medical personnel from developing chemical dermatitis due to the work performed during medical treatments. Since then, latex gloves have been used in all medical centers around the world.
Today, disposable latex gloves are CFIA approved for medical use and provide an excellent barrier of protection against bloodborne pathogens and other environmental contaminants.
You should verify that disposable medical gloves contain the “Examination” or “Medical Grade” label clearly marked on the package, which means that they are approved for medical use.
Another feature of these products today is the powder and talc-free options, which provide protection and performance for many applications in medicine and dentistry, child and elder care, veterinary medicine and more.
2. Latex gloves in Canada
Latex gloves have two variations:
Sterile gloves against invasive procedures, which protect the patient from infection, and non-sterile examination and care gloves, which are intended to protect the user against contact with infectious or hazardous material.
Medical requirements are high according to the production process of latex gloves. They must be tear-resistant, impervious to liquids and chemicals, must fit exactly to the anatomy of the hand and have a high degree of elasticity.
The protective function and possible scope of application of long latex gloves depends on a number of factors: the substance to be protected, the respective activity of the user and the time of use.
3. Latex gloves vs. the alternative
Disposable latex gloves balance price with performance, making them a popular choice in many industrial applications.
Natural rubber latex is derived from the sap of the rubber tree and is produced with full barrier protection, ending in what are known as disposable latex gloves.
This unique material naturally provides the advantage of chemical resistance against most acids, bases, chlorine, iodine and formaldehyde.
Nitrile gloves vs. latex gloves
Nitrile gloves are water repellent and resistant to oils. However, they are permeable to many solvents such as acetone or dichloromethane.
They are used as an alternative when the user has a latex allergy and also offer good protection against microbes.
Vinyl gloves vs. Latex gloves
Another alternative for people allergic to latex is vinyl. The material is water repellent, regardless of its temperature and is relatively inexpensive. However, it is not very robust and tends to last less time.
In the past, the material used for glove production has predominantly been natural rubber latex, but concerns about latex sensitivity have led healthcare organizations to adopt gloves made of a different material such as vinyl.
There is evidence that vinyl may be a less effective barrier than latex, although all gloves carry the risk of failure of the barrier effect, obviously not visible to the naked eye.
Hence the need to perform hand hygiene practices regardless of whether gloves are used or not.
To ensure hygiene, long medical latex gloves should only be used once and then disposed of.
4. Manufacturing advantages
Non-sterile disposable gloves are available in multi-packs packed in boxes with dispensers, in different sizes.
Glove packs should be placed as close as possible to the point of use, ideally in a stationary dispenser so that gloves can be picked up as conveniently as possible.
5. Latex offers the best fit, feel and dexterity
A key feature of latex is that it conforms perfectly to the hand to provide the best fit and feel. This gives users more dexterity while wearing gloves.
In the dental industry, for example, dentists and dental assistants spend all day handling small items, such as dental caps and small packets of dental enamel.
By wearing gloves that are loose to their hands, they may have trouble gripping these items and could even cause errors during patient treatment.
Instead, long medical latex gloves, such as Distinct Latex Gloves, provide the dexterity and tactile sensitivity needed for this and similar tasks.
You should know that, despite the benefits offered by this product, its composition may cause allergic reactions in some cases.
A latex allergy is, more precisely, a reaction to the proteins present in natural rubber latex. When a person has a latex allergy, their body mistakes latex for a harmful substance.
In these cases, it will be necessary to resort to surgical gloves of another material, such as nitrile or vinyl. Always check with your medical suppliers to be sure.
You can find a wide variety of surgical glove materials by clicking here.
At Divocco Médical, the pricing of both latex and nitrile gloves are so attractive that, instead of buying many small orders throughout the year, you save time and money by ordering larger quantities.
