What to look at when choosing surgical gloves
The AQL figure, powdered versus powder-free, the size chart and storage conditions.
Surgical gloves are the most heavily used consumable in a clinic, and a poor choice shows up immediately in daily work. Here are the four criteria that matter in practice.
AQL (Acceptable Quality Level). This figure reflects the expected proportion of pinholes in a batch. Surgical gloves should be AQL 1.0 or lower; 1.5 is accepted for examination gloves. The smaller the number, the lower the perforation risk.
Powdered or powder-free. Powder makes gloves easier to don but brings a risk of tissue reaction and adhesions. Powder-free has therefore become the standard choice in the operating theatre, where an inner polymer coating handles donning instead.
Size. Gloves are sized by palm width, from 6.0 to 9.0. A size too large leaves space at the fingertips and reduces tactile sensitivity; one too small causes hand fatigue during long procedures. Keeping the department's two or three most-used sizes in stock is the practical approach.
Storage. Latex gloves should not be kept in direct sunlight, near a heat source, or near ozone-producing devices such as some sterilisers and UV lamps — these conditions age the material prematurely. Stored somewhere dry, cool and dark, a glove keeps its properties until its expiry date.