Sterile Versus Nonsterile Gloves: Infection Risk and Cost Comparison in Corticosteroid Shoulder Injections

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by James

Corticosteroid injections are a frequent orthopaedic treatment, yet whether nonsterile gloves increase infection risk compared with sterile gloves remains unresolved. A retrospective review tracked patients who received shoulder injections from a single surgeon after transitioning from sterile to nonsterile gloves between February 2023 and July 2024. Infection outcomes at 1, 3, and 6 months were assessed using ICD-10 criteria, alongside demographic and comorbidity measures and glove cost data.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

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Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Introduction

Clinical use of corticosteroid injections

Research Article Sterile Versus Nonsterile Gloves: Infection Risk and Cost Comparison in Corticosteroid Shoulder Injections Thomas Stanila, BS Andrew L. Chen, MD Dane H. Salazar, MD, MBA Nickolas G. Garbis, MD From the Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL (Mr. Stanila), and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, Loyola Medicine, Maywood, IL (Dr. Chen, Dr. Salazar, and Dr. Garbis) . Correspondence to Dr. Chen: andrew-chen- [1@uiowa.edu](1@uiowa.edu) Dr. Salazar or an immediate family member serves as a Arthrex consultant, Stryker Tornier consultant, and Zimmer Biomet designer/ consultant. Dr. Garbis or an immediate family member serves as a Arthrex Speakers Bureau/ Honorarium, Enovis Speakers Bureau/ Honorarium, Additive Implants Stock Options, Avuemed Stock Options. Neither of the following authors nor any immediate family member has received anything of value from or has stock or stock options held in a commercial company or institution related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article: Stanila and Dr. Chen. JAAOS Glob Res Rev 2026;10: e25 .00022 DOI: 10.5435/JAAOSGlobal-D-25-00022 Copyright 2026 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial License 4.0 (CCBYNC) , where it is permissible to download, share, remix, transform, and buildup the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be used commercially without permission from the journal. ABSTRACT Background: Corticosteroid injection into the shoulder is a common treatment used for various orthopaedic pathologies. However, it remains unclear if using nonsterile gloves correlate with higher infection risk compared with sterile gloves for such procedures. Although literature in other fields supports thenoninferiority of nonsterile gloves toward infection risk, similar studies have not been conducted in orthopaedics. This study seeks to identify if there is an increased infection risk and difference in costs with using nonsterile gloves compared with sterile gloves for shoulder injections. Methods: A retrospective review of medical records identified patients who received shoulder injections from a single surgeon from February 2023to July2024. The surgeon transitioned from using sterile gloves to nonsterile gloves during this period, and a proportionate number of patients were assigned to nonsterile and sterile glove groups. Post hoc power analysis was completed through calculating confidence intervals and minimal detectable effect size through Cohen h. Records were reviewed for demographic information, body mass index, Charlson comorbidity index, follow-up length, and postinjection infection as identified through ICD-10 code T80 .29XA. Rate of infection was evaluated at 1, 3, and 6 months following injections. Glove prices were obtained through our institution. Percentages were obtained for categorical variables, and means were calculated for continuous variables. Descriptive statistics were done using Chisquared tests for percentages and Student t tests for means for any baseline differences between the patient groups. Results: A total of 641 patients were evaluated with a minimal followup period of 6 months. Three hundred seventeen injections were performed using sterile gloves, and 323 injections were performed using nonsterile gloves. No shoulder joint infections were recorded Impact of Gloves on Shoulder Injections following any injection performed with either glove type, with the study being sufficiently powered to detect within0.012infection rate difference. Sterile gloves were36times more expensive than nonsterile gloves per injection. Conclusion: Although sterile gloves are substantially more expensive than nonsterile gloves, no difference was found in infection risk outcomes for corticosteroid

FAQs

What clinical question does the study address?

The study evaluates whether nonsterile gloves are associated with a higher infection risk than sterile gloves for corticosteroid shoulder injections, and how costs compare between glove types.

How were patients and outcomes evaluated?

Records from February 2023 to July 2024 were reviewed for demographic and comorbidity data, and post-injection infection was identified using ICD-10 code T80.29XA. Infection rates were checked at 1, 3, and 6 months.

What did the study find about infection risk and glove cost?

No shoulder joint infections were recorded after injections with either glove type. Sterile gloves cost about 36 times more per injection than nonsterile gloves, while infection-risk outcomes showed no difference in clinical practice.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by James