This may cause surgeons to have chest pain, but there is no need to wear sterile gloves when repairing a laceration. Let me say that again, you don’t need sterile gloves to sew up a laceration. Think about it, the dirty skin just got cut by a dirty object. Using sterile gloves isn’t going to make that wound cleaner. The “clean” gloves that come in a box are just as good as the sterile gloves. They are easier to find and a heck of a lot cheaper, like $.03 per pair compared to $1.50. Some people may like the feel of sterile gloves and insist on using them. Totally fine! Just be assured that you don’t have to use them.
Here is a study to back this up.
Sincerely,
Dr. Patrick O’Malley
The Laceration Course, Course Director
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Patrick O’Malley is an emergency physician and course director of The Laceration Course and The Abscess Course. Follow him bellow for more…