Impact of Changing Sterile Glove at the Time of Wound Closure to Reduce Surgical Site Infection in Women Undergoing Elective Cesarean Section; A Prospective Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Abstract Background Among surgical patients, surgical site infections (SSIs) are the most common nosocomial infection, accounting for 38 percent of nosocomial infections. It is estimated that SSIs develop in 2 to 5 percent of the more than 30 million patients undergoing surgical procedures each year (ie, 1 in 24 patients who undergo inpatient surgery in the United States has a postoperative SSI). Aim of the Work Assessment of the impact of changing sterile gloves at the time of wound closure to reduce SSI in women undergoing elective cesarean section (CS). Patients and Methods A total of 283 cases of CS were assessed for eligibility according to the present criteria. 220 Women meeting the criteria and consenting for participating in the study were randomly distributed and blindly allocated into two groups. Group A (operative glove changing group “n=110”), Group B (usual care group “n=110”), with the same inclusion and exclusion criteria. At the end of the study, Group A had 102 cases and 8 were lost during follow up, Group B had 100 cases and 10 were lost during follow up. The study population had achieved the present study size calculated. Surgical site infection occurs within one and three weeks following delivery, febrile morbidity, cellulitis, need for antibiotics for skin- or wound related infection and endometritis were compared between study groups. Results Postoperative wound complications were statistically significant higher among cases not subjected to change of sterile gloves 28.0% vs. 9.8%. On the other hand, no differences were noted between study groups as regard operative duration 61.39 ± 7.76 vs. 59.35 ± 8.11 minutes. Conclusion Changing sterile gloves at the time of wound closure reduce surgical site infection and associated morbidity in women undergoing elective CS.