Hello-
Does anyone have a favorite kind of rescue-extrication gloves? I am looking for something that will protect my hands from glass, sharp objects etc.. but will also be flexible enough for patient care. On my Vol. FD, I'm usually on the squad if we get a car accident so the only protection I have are my regular rubber gloves. I have gotton cut by small shards of glass several times that went right through those gloves, and I would like something with more protection espesially when there is blood involved.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me, Ariel
Ringers makes two versions of their extrication glove. One version is intended for tool use but isn't blood or liquid resistant. The other version (Barrier 1 glove) is bloodborne pathogens compliant. These gloves are expensive ($50 to $70 per pair) but they are well worth it.
Another option is to just wear a pair of leather or cowhide work gloves (less than $10 at your local hardware store) over one or two pairs of exam gloves. You can remove the leather as needed for hands-on patient care. If the leather gets contaminated, you can decon it with a spray-on virucidal solution, then rinse them out, then dry them prior to re-use. If the leather gets stiff, you can work Mazola or similar cooking oil into it to make the leather more supple.
There are other options, but they tend to be more bulky and/or expensive.
Unfortunately, I don't really think there is a multi pupose glove on the market. Sure, there are gloves that have in built barriers etc which are great for the rescuer, but those gloves get contaminated with hydraulic oils, greases, dirt etc and should be removed for patient care. The latex rubber gloves are the best option for patient care, which it seems you are using. You may just have to add/remove gloves as required which is a bit annoying, but better for patient care.
Permalink Reply by Paul on August 10, 2008 at 9:33pm
my vote is for the ringers brand..they have not only the rescue gloves w/barrier but also the wrist length new gloves w/the service title (ie fire,ems etc) on the top of the glove..that might serve the purpose you are looking for well and not to expensive ($30.00) a pair.Ive used the extended length extrication gloves for several years and they are great,they do get a little stiff but not untolerable.
Thank you all for your help!
I would be happy even wearing regular rubber gloves underneath, I've just had several patients that have tiny glass shards all over them and while extricating them had my hands cut. I don't mind the cut part i just don't like their blood in my cut :-)
Thanks again for all your replies.. You've been very helpful.
Yea we use the shelby extrication gloves... I like them they are flexible and comfortable...u can even screw in a small screw with them if need be!!
check out shelbyglove.com
Permalink Reply by Jay on August 10, 2008 at 10:34pm
You cant go wrong with Ringers... I bought a pair at FDIC and used them in a huge extriction class a month later... i loved them...and like Ben said, you can get them bloodborne pathogen resistant, which is a huge plus
im a big fan of mechanics wear gloves, their really thick and offer alot of protection, their also very flexible and manuverable, they fight very will, and their not that expensive (20 bucks at pep-boys), as far as blood born pathogens, what i do is wear a pair or two of regular latex gloves under the extrication gloves, that way if anything gets through the inner glove still protects you from it, ive had my pair of gloves for over a year now and their still goin strong
I gave up wearing mechanics gloves - they're not tough enough to resist the little glass slivers.
Ringers and Shelby extrication gloves do a much better job with essentially the same dexterity.
The difference is that Ringers has the bloodborne pathogens barrier gloves, and I don't think Shelby has those yet. I have nothing against Shelby - they made my firefighting gloves, and I like those just fine.
You probably should mind the cut part. Any time you get hurt working a call you should be doing an injury report. If you get cut, you're risking acquired communicable diseases, whether you get the patient's blood in the cuts or not. Serious diseases like MRSA are bad news if acquired by skin-to-skin contact. Skin-to-blood contact could be potentially career-ending or even life-threatening.
Also, I'd recommend against buying PPE - gloves or anything else - based on how cheap it is to replace when you contaminate it or tear it up. If you have a low-bid opinion of yourself, get a low-bid pair of gloves. If not, spend a few extra bucks for a better quality glove that will actually protect you from a variety of hazards.
If you want a less expensive option that protects your hands better, get a pair of the knit kevlar gloves that metal workers, orthopedic surgeons, etc. wear. They are designed to wear with one or two pairs of exam gloves over them. If the outer exam gloves getcut, you can just pull them off and put on a new outer pair. I have a pair of these in my personal jump kit - they're a reasonable option for patient care.
If you do both patient care and tool work on the same call, the Ringers Barrier gloves are still probably the best overall choice.