| abstract |
The present invention relates to an antimicrobial glove which exhibits rapid release of the antiinfective agent chlorhexidine. It is based, at least in part, on the discovery that when a slurry having a high ratio of chlorhexidine to starch lubricant, where the percentage of starch lubricant is between 7 and 10 percent, is used to coat the inner surface of a latex glove, the resulting antimicrobial activity is available surprisingly quickly, within about 30 seconds to one minute of exposure to liquid. This rapid release of antiinfective agent may be explained by the presence, in gloves according to the invention, of two matrix layers, one comprising the starch lubricant, the other comprising latex in the body of the glove in immediate apposition to the lubricant, both of which are supersaturated with chlorhexidine. |