Evaluating the Role of Glove Changing Before Mesh Application During Herniorrhaphy Surgery to Reduce Surgical Site Infections

Background: Prevention of surgical site infection (SSI) in hernia repair with mesh remains the main concern. Many risk factors have been proposed; however, the role of changing the glove remains to be elucidated. Methods: This longitudinal study was conducted on adult inguinal hernia cases referred to elective repair using mesh reconstruction. Two hundred cases were enrolled and classified into two groups, including the group that surgeon and his assistants changed the glove and the group in which the gloves remained unchanged. Age, gender, surgery duration, and the side of hernia were compared between those who developed SSI and those without this complication. Moreover, the infection rate was compared between the two study groups. Results: One hundred and two males (51.0%) and 98 females (49.0%) with a mean age of 42.60 ± 15.79 years old were enrolled in the study. None of the variables showed a significant difference between SSI cases and non-SSI cases. Moreover, the rate of infection was not significantly different between the two study groups. Conclusions: Glove changing before mesh application indicates no considerable role in reducing SSI rate; however, further studies are needed to confirm these findings.