Puncture indicator for a surgical glove

Abstract

A visual indicator for a surgical glove by which to automatically and instantaneously alert a health care professional of the need to select a new glove should the structural integrity of the glove be compromised by a puncture or tear that could expose the wearer to a contagious and potentially life-threatening disease. The surgical glove includes outer and inner latex glove layers that have a space extending therebetween and a vacuum established within the space. The visual indicator includes a hollow, hemispherically shaped dome that is manufactured from an elastomeric material and is disposed entirely between the outer and inner glove layers so as to lie in continuous and uninterrupted fluid communication with the space. The visual indicator is adapted to be inflated from an as-packaged compressed condition to an expanded condition with air that is suctioned from the atmosphere via a puncture or tear through the outer glove layer and the space between the outer and inner glove layers. The visual indicator is maintained in continuous fluid communication with the space between the glove layers by either a series of vent slots formed through the hemispherically shaped dome or by a series of air holes formed through a rigid foundation plate assembly that extends across and closes the bottom of the hemispherically shaped dome.