Journal Published Online: 22 January 2008
Volume 5, Issue 1

Influence of Medical Needle Characteristics on the Resistance to Puncture of Protective Glove Materials

CODEN: JAIOAD

Abstract

Puncture of protective clothing by medical needles is a major concern for a number of professional groups. This is particularly true since it has been shown that the protection level of protective gloves measured using the current puncture resistance standards is not relevant when dealing with medical needles. This paper proposes a step-by-step analysis of the puncture mechanism of membranes by medical needles. It investigates also the influence on the puncture force of various characteristics of medical needles, including the needle diameter, number of facets, and facet angle, for a number of materials relevant to protective gloves. It is observed that the effect of these parameters is sometimes very dependent on the type of material punctured. Tests also reveal that the variation in the measured puncture force for mass-produced three-facet medical needles can be associated with the variation of one of the needle dimensions, i.e., the outer diameter at the transition between the facets. Finally, a study of the effect of needle reuse in successive trials shows that cutting-edge wear is much more extensive with reinforced materials. This justifies the need to use needles only once for measuring the puncture resistance of protective clothing materials.

Author Information

Dolez, Patricia
École de technologie supérieure, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Vu-Khanh, Toan
École de technologie supérieure, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Nguyen, C.
Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada
Guero, Gbeuli
École de technologie supérieure, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Gauvin, Chantal
Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Lara, Jaime
Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Pages: 12
Price: $25.00
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Stock #: JAI101364
ISSN: 1546-962X
DOI: 10.1520/JAI101364