Surgical glove

Abstract

A surgical glove is made using a mould having a set of digits, consisting of thumb and index, middle, ring and little fingers that are disposed in positions consistent with that of a human hand when holding a surgical implement. In one embodiment, the digits include at least one major bend. In another embodiment, each of the digits includes two bends. By adopting a shape for the surgical glove that mimics the position of the surgeon's hand while holding a surgical implement, finger stress and hand fatigue during a prolonged surgical procedure can be significantly reduced.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION[0001]The invention relates generally to a surgical glove and to a hand mould for making such a glove. More specifically, the invention concerns a surgical glove which may be worn by a surgical doctor for an extended period of time while performing surgery.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]In the course of a surgical procedure, a typical surgical glove is worn while the doctor is performing a surgery in a surgery room. A typical surgical glove can be worn from as little as 10 minutes to more than 15 hours to complete a procedure. In the course of a long surgery, many pairs of gloves are changed for cleanliness, leaving the surgical room for rest or food, good sterile practice, etc. Nevertheless the amount of time when the gloves are worn on the hands is long enough to cause hand fatigue. Such length of time puts a physical stress on the hands of the surgeon as the gloves are designed to be worn tight without slack or loose folds in order to maximize dexterity and se...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0022]The present invention seeks to provide a solution to the hand fatigue problems by introducing a particular and one or more distinctive bends in the fingers of the glove. Generally, the strain on a surgeon's hands is caused by the fact that the surgeon's hands are not posed in a way which resembles the pose of the hands when in rested position. In most cases, the surgeon will be holding a tool of some sort and so will have his hands almost closed. To overcome the tendency of the glove to return to its natural shape, one which approximates the shape of the hand when in rested position that the glove was produced with, the surgeon must exert continual force on the glove to grasp the tool. The present invention overcomes this limitation by creating a mould that, when used to make gloves, creates stress and slack in such a way that the natural shape of the glove when worn will approximate the pose of the surgeon's hands while manipulating a surgical implement.

[0023]The present invention thus reduces tension in the glove by using dimensional proportions that match closely the hand position most commonly occupied by a surgeon while retaining the tightness which provides improved sensitivity and dexterity. Unlike the above prior art that provides a gentle curve to the digits of the glove, the present invention is based on the idea of specific articulation required during the process of surgery including positioning of one or more bends in the former used to produce the gloves.

Problems solved by technology

Nevertheless the amount of time when the gloves are worn on the hands is long enough to cause hand fatigue.

Hand fatigue is a major issue for surgeons due to the protracted length of some of these procedures.

However these shapes do not address or adequately address the problem of finger stress and the related hand fatigue.

There is thus an unfulfilled need for a surgical glove that is able to address the hand fatigue problems faced by those who wear the surgical glove for a long period of time while working with surgical implements.

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