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Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2023-02-22 Origin: Site
When you plan to purchase surgical gowns, a variety of surgical gowns advertising let you see dazzled and let you feel at a loss to start. Don't worry. This article will tell you how to choose.
We will introduce you to four aspects: the material of the surgical gown, the protection level, the construction design, and the conditions for selecting the surgical gowns.
The Materials of the Surgical Gown
1. Spun-lace non-woven surgical gown
2. SMS non-woven surgical gown
3. Material comparison of Surgical gown
The Critical Zones of the Surgical Gown
How to Choose the Right Surgical Gown
2. Choose the right sleeve length
3. Tear-resistant and wear-resistant
The surgical gown is a kind of medical gown, which refers to the disposable surgical gown used in the operating room for the invasive treatment of patients during surgery, which is strictly sterilized. It can protect the surgeon and the patient from microorganisms, body fluids, and particulate matter.
There are many materials for making medical gowns, and the most commonly used are SMS, SMMS composite non-woven fabrics, and spun-lace non-woven fabrics. Others, such as PP spun-bonded non-woven fabrics and PP+PE film, are also included. The application scenarios of medical gowns with different materials are also different. Here we only introduce spun-lace non-woven fabrics and SMS non-woven fabrics.
The production of spun-lace non-woven surgeon gown material is wood pulp, polyester blended non-woven fabric, made the spun-lace process, and need to do three anti treatments of non-woven fabric so that it has the function of anti-alcohol, anti-blood, and anti-oil.
The surgical gown made of spun-lace non-woven fabric feels soft and comfortable, conforms to ergonomics, and makes your movement more convenient.
It has high strength and is difficult to damage, providing safe protection for medical staff.
SMS non-woven fabric is a three-layer composite material, S is spun-bond non-woven fabric, and M is a melt-blown non-woven fabric. It is named according to the production process of non-woven fabric. The raw material of spun-bond and melt-blown is generally polypropylene.
Spunbonded polypropylene non-woven fabric is generally used as the inner and outer layer because it is soft, solid, and durable. In addition, the outer layer can also do three anti-spun-bonded non-woven fabrics, flame retardant, and anti-static treatment. It can be used to enhance the non-woven flame retardant, anti-alcohol, anti-blood, anti-oil, and anti-static function, improving the safety of medical use.
In contrast, melt-blown polypropylene non-woven fabrics have more gaps, a fluffy structure, good wrinkle resistance, better filtering, shielding, insulation, and oil absorption. It is responsible for the vital task of filtering air and blocking bacteria.
The combination of spun-bond and melt-blown non-woven fabrics makes non-woven fabrics strong, soft, breathable, and comfortable, with anti-tear and anti-puncture characteristics, and can also effectively isolate liquids and microorganisms, creating a mighty protective barrier for medical staff.
Different materials of medical gowns have different characteristics and application fields. We can learn to understand the other materials of medical gowns according to the chart.
Figure 1- Material comparison of medical gowns
When healthcare workers are in different medical environments, they need different levels of protection. At this point, you can select surgical gowns with varying degrees of protection.
FDA issued a guidance document, 《Premarket Notification Requirements Concerning Gowns Intended for Use in Health Care Settings》, in 2015, which defined that Level 1 and Level 2 can no longer be called surgical gowns, and only level 3 and level 4 gowns can be called surgical gowns, including surgical isolation gowns.
The four levels of protection outlined by ANSI and AAMI are FDA-recognized. The level of protection is increased from level 1 to level 4, and you can choose the appropriate medical gown according to the type of procedure.
ANSI/AAMI PB70 barrier | Risk of exposure | Types of procedures allowed at this level | Picture | ||
Fluid Amount | Fluid Spray or Splash | Pressure on Gown | |||
Level 1 | Minimal risk | Minimal risk | Minimal risk | Little or no risk of contact with fluids During basic care Standard isolation Cover gown for visitors, or in a standard medical unit |
|
Level 2 | Low risk | Low risk | Low risk | Slight fluid contact When operating blood drawing and suture Wear in the intensive care unit or pathology laboratory |
|
Level 3 | Moderate risk | Moderate risk | Moderate risk | The risk of exposure to fluids was moderate During operating arterial blood draw and inserting an Intravenous (IV) line In the Emergency Room, or for trauma cases |
|
Level 4 | High risk | High risk | High risk | During long, fluid intense procedures, surgery Or conditions where an infectious disease is thought to be present Protection against blood-borne pathogens needs to be provided in critical regions |
|
Note: The examples in the table are not exhaustive and are not a substitute for professional judgment and experience
In a specific operating environment, having the correct surgery gown is essential to ensure that the surgeon is protected from bacteria and other contaminants that may be present in the operating room. You can choose the appropriate level of surgical gown according to the operation you are performing.
Now that we know the levels of the surgical gown, what is the construction of the gown?
According to the protection of critical areas by the surgical gown, the structure of the surgical gown can be divided into four types
1. Non-reinforced surgical gown with non-reinforced fabric throughout the body;
2. Fabric-reinforced surgical gown with additional fabric layers on the front and sleeves of the gown;
3. Polyethylene-reinforced surgical gowns with extra breathable membranes on the front and sleeves;
4. The surgical gown made of a breathable membrane is used to reinforce the surgical gown as a whole, providing all-around protection for medical staff.
The ANSI/AAMI PB70:2012 standard describes the area of the surgical gown.
The front of the body, from the top of the shoulders to the knees and the arm from the wrist cuffs to just above the elbows, are vital areas of the surgical gown. Critical areas were defined as those most likely to have direct contact with blood, body fluids, and other potentially infectious materials.
Figure 2 – Example of surgical gown
As shown in Figure 2, the entire front of the gown (areas A, B, and C) has a barrier performance of at least class 1;
The critical region consists of at least region A and region B;
Area D on the back of the surgical gown may not be protective.
Through the above regional division, we can know that when designing the surgical gown, the body of it, the sleeves, and other areas provide different levels of protection. Different parts also differ in their ability to resist fluid penetration.
The function of the surgical gown is to prevent the cross-infection of microorganisms and body fluids between the operator and the patient. The central factors in choosing appropriate surgical clothing are the degree of protection and the type of clothing. In addition to identifying the risk level, critical protection areas, and necessary fluid barrier properties, the surgical gown has the following requirements:
It is vital to choose the right size surgical gown. Too small may limit the movement of medical staff, which is not conducive to the operation during the operation. Too loose may hang on the instrument, endangering the safety of doctors and patients.
The sleeve of the surgical gown should fit the shape of the wearer's arm; The sleeves should be long enough to be covered by surgical gloves. Avoid direct contact between the skin of medical staff and microorganisms or germs.
A torn or worn gown is likely to be unable to resist microbial or fluid intrusion, exposing patients and healthcare providers to microbial contamination and blood-borne pathogens. Wear can hurt the barrier properties of the material. It can also create lint that can affect wound healing if it falls into the wound. So to choose an anti-tear, wear-resistant surgical gown;
Sterile surgical gowns are commonly worn by medical staff during invasive procedures. It can protect the patient from infection by microorganisms or other germs.
During invasive procedures, patients and healthcare workers are at risk of exposure to the source of infection through penetration of the surgical gown by pathogens. Therefore, the choice of surgical gowns with appropriate barrier protection is essential.
We are a supplier of surgical gowns and can provide you with various types and sizes. For more information on surgical gowns, click here to contact us. We will serve you wholeheartedly!
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