Reference Manual - IARC Screening Group

Processing Surgical GlovesHOW TO STERILIZE SURGICAL GLOVESRemember: Highertemperatures and pressuresare destructive to gloves.After decontamination, cleaning and drying, gloves must be packagedprior to sterilizing by autoclaving. First, fold the cuffs of the gloves outtowards the palm so that they can be put on easily and withoutcontamination after sterilization. Next, put gauze or paper inside eachglove and under the fold of the cuff and wrap the gloves as shown inFigure F-1. (Do not tie tightly or wrap glove packs with rubber bands.)Finally, place them in a wire basket on their sides to allow optimumsteam penetration. (If gloves are stacked in piles, penetration of steamunder the cuffs may be poor.) Autoclave at 121EC (250EF) for 30minutes and at a pressure of 106 kPa (15 lb/in 2 ).Figure F-1. Preparing Gloves for Autoclaving (Steam Sterilization)Will be sterileportion of glove:must only betouched byanother sterilegloveWill be sterilefield of glovewrapperGauze or paperCuff: used topick up glovewith bare handsSource: South East Asia Office/World Health Organization 1988.Immediately after autoclaving, gloves are extremely friable and teareasily. Gloves should not be used for 24 to 48 hours to allow theelasticity to return and to prevent tackiness (stickiness) (Table F-1).F-2 Cervical Cancer Prevention Guidelines for Low-Resource Settings