Influence of electron radiation on the physical and mechanical properties of a nonwoven fabric made using Spunlace technology

The effect of electron radiation on the physical and mechanical properties of Sontara nonwoven fabric produced using spunlace technology has been studied. The initial raw material for the manufacture of materials using this technology, as a rule, are viscose, polyester, polypropylene and cellulose fibers. Such nonwovens are highly breathable and are therefore used in disposable surgical gowns and suits. Since radiation can be used to sterilize disposable surgical gowns, it is important to assess the resistance to ionizing radiation. It was found that the Sontara brand material is resistant to the effects of ionizing radiation - the physical and mechanical characteristics of the material (breaking load and relative elongation) in the longitudinal and transverse directions of the web do not significantly change when irradiated with absorbed doses up to 60 kGy. It should also be noted that a cloth with a basis weight of 68 g/m2 has a significant smell of strength after radiation sterilization.

Electrospun Nanofiber-Based Viroblock/ZnO/PAN Hybrid Antiviral Nanocomposite for Personal Protective Applications

Designing novel antiviral personal protective equipment (PPE) is crucial for preventing viral infections such as COVID-19 in humans. Here, we fabricate an electrospun nanofiber-based Viroblock (VB)-loaded polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/zinc oxide (ZnO) hybrid nanocomposite for PPE applications. Five different concentrations of Viroblock (0.5%, 1.5%, 2.5%, 3.5%, and 5%) were added to PAN/ZnO solution and loaded for electrospinning. The developed samples reflected antibacterial activity of 92.59% and 88.64% against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, respectively, with 5% VB loading. Moreover, a significant reduction in virus titer (37%) was observed with the 5% VB/PAN/ZnO nanofiber sheet. Hence, VB-loaded PAN/ZnO nanofibers have great potential to kill enveloped viruses such as influenzas and coronaviruses and could be the ideal candidate for the development of nanofiber-based PPE, such as facemasks and surgical gowns, which can play a key role in the protection of frontline health workers and the general public in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Personal protective equipment and doffing procedures in out-of-hospital practice: assessment with a contamination simulation

Background The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by emergency medical services (EMS) providers requires specific attention, as it takes place in out-of-hospital unsecured settings. The aim of this study was to evaluate which PPE gown was less contaminating during doffing procedures in an EMS setting. Six well-trained healthcare worker (HCW) subjects tested 4 different gowns: (1) surgical gowns (SG), (2) full body coveralls (FBC), (3) self-made alternative PPEs (SMP), and (4) non-surgical isolation gowns (NSIG). An invisible tracer was sprayed on the gown after donning each subject. After doffing, each HCW was photographed under UV lights to show areas of fluorescent “contamination” on their clothes. The number, size, and intensity level of contaminated areas were noted, as well as observational deviation from the procedure and doffing time. In addition, the subjects were asked to take a questionnaire about their perception of the level of comfort, ease of doffing, and overall safety for each gown. Results Despite a well-trained team of HCW subjects, contamination while doffing was observed with every type of PPE gown, and with each HCW subject. All body areas were contaminated at least once, except the face. Contamination was more frequent while doffing FBCs. On the other hand, the removal of SG was found to be the least contaminating. The mean doffing time was significantly shorter with SG 1:29 and longer with FBC 2:26 (p=0.005). Conclusion Results of this study converge towards the selection of surgical gowns over other types of PPE gowns, which met both contamination criteria as well as staff appreciation in this context. Specific attention should be paid to the legs and abdomino-pelvic areas. Additional protection such as protective trousers or aprons could be added.

A New Approach to Surgical Gowns

Emerging diseases such as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, SARS, and most recently the Covid 19 epidemic have increased the importance of hygiene in the world, bringing the need for personal protective equipment (PPE) to the forefront. An important part of PPE in healthcare is surgical gowns, which are worn by doctors and nurses in the operating room to serve a dual function of preventing the transmission of microorganisms and body fluids from surgical staff to patients and from patients to staff. This chapter presents the history and importance of surgical gowns. The factors to be considered in the selection of surgical gowns are discussed. The model characteristics and fabric properties of surgical gowns currently on the market and the environmental impact of reusable and disposable gowns are outlined. Finally, shortcomings in available gowns are discussed, a new knitted surgical gown design is introduced, and recommendations are given in the final section. The chapter provides broad coverage of surgical gowns for both experienced readers and those new to the field.

ECMO Support and Operator Safety in the Context of COVID-19 Outbreak: A Regional Center Experience

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 emergency, the referral Intensive Care Unit for the Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) support of Piedmont Region (Italy), in cooperation with infectious disease specialists, perfusionists and cardiac surgeons, developed a protocol to guarantee operator safety during invasive procedures, among which the ECMO positioning or inter-hospital transport. The use of powered air-purifying respirators, filtering facepiece particles (FFP) 2–3 masks, protective suits, disposable sterile surgical gowns, and two pairs of sterile gloves as a part of a protocol seemed effective and feasible for trained healthcare workers and allow all the complex activities connected with the positioning of the ECMO support to be completed effectively. The simulation training on donning and doffing procedures and the presence of a dedicated team member to verify the compliance with the safety procedure effectively reassured operators and likely reduced the risk of self-contamination. From 1 March to 31 December 2020, we used the procedure in 35 severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients and one acute respiratory failure caused by neoplastic total tracheal obstruction, all positive to COVID-19, to be connected to veno-venous ECMO in peripheral hospitals and centralized for ECMO management. This preliminary experience seems to confirm that the use of ECMO during COVID-19 outbreaks is feasible and the risks associated with its positioning and management are sustainable for the health-care workers and safe for patients.

Evaluation of Surgical Gown Textiles for Resistance Against Aerosols: A Preclinical Double-Blind Study

Personal protective equipment is used to prevent healthcare workers from contaminants. With the advent of COVID-19 pandemic, the use of effective PPE becomes more critical to avoiding infection by SARS-CoV-2. This preclinical double-blind study evaluated the performance of surgical gown textiles for penetration resistance against aerosols. The different textiles were divided into seven groups: (1) SMS PP OE Phobic; (2) Laminated Phobic; (3) Medical Barrier; (4) Trilayer Fabric; (5) Impermeable gown; (6) Impermeable with heat sealing tape; and (7) Clean Wear. All groups were exposed to aerosol-generating procedure for 5 min, according to Barboza et al. 2020. All measurements were recorded and exported to a datasheet for analysis using SPSS software. The groups showed significant differences (p < 0.01). Groups 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 proved to be effective barriers against aerosols and presented a constant behavior. Groups 1 and 7 showed pigmented areas of 13.05 and 48.23%, respectively, suggesting that, in the present test model, these water-repellent and antimicrobial fabrics were not effective barriers against 5-min aerosols generated by a high-speed dental handpiece. Polyethylene or polyurethane laminated fabrics were efficient against 5-min aerosols. The SMS textile, globally used for surgical gowns, and the cotton fabric, impregnated with nanoparticles, were not effective barriers. The breathability and comfort of these textiles should be tested in future studies. Healthcare workers should be aware of the exact specifications of their surgical gown textiles.

Influence of non-equilibrium low-temperature plasma on consumer characteristics of spunmelt material

Nonwovens (nonwovens) are widely used in medicine, for the manufacture of medical linen, sanitary and hygienic items, medical clothing, surgical materials (including dressings). The rapid development of the clothing market requires domestic manufacturers to be competitive not only through new products and technologies, but also new sensations for the consumer, provided that the price is competitive. According to medical workers, disposable surgical gowns based on spunmelt materials give a feeling of discomfort during use. One and relatively new method for modifying nanomaterials is treatment with nonequilibrium low-temperature plasma (NLTP). The main advantage of this type of material modification is the environmental friendliness of the method, as in the process of processing aqueous solutions of chemicals are not used, as in the case of using special impregnations. Modern research of medical services. As a result of the work, it was revealed that the modification of NM NNTP allows you to change the NM for changes in surface, physical and mechanical, as well as consumer properties, while maintaining the strength characteristics. It is shown that after plasma treatment spunmelt materials increase such consumer characteristics as air permeability, hygroscopicity, while maintaining the strength during elongation; reduction of material stiffness during bending. It was also found that after the processing of NTPP, the electrification rate increases within the normal range, in GOST 12.1.045-84. Manufacturers are recommended to process spunmelt material with non-equilibrium low-temperature plasma on a high-frequency capacitive plasma installation with a power of Wp = 1.5 kW, processing time τ = 180 s and pressure P = 21.5 Pa. Use argon gas with a gas flow of 1500 cm3/min as a plasma-forming gas.

Influence of the absorbed dose of radiation radiation on the destruction of polypropylene, depending on the location of the sample to the electron radiator

Currently, polypropylene is one of the most common polymers in the world. Due to its resistance to high temperatures, strength and density, it has found very wide application in the field of medicine. Polypropylene produces medical devices, pharmaceutical packaging, containers, suture threads. But a special place is occupied by non-woven materials based on polypropylene: surgical underwear, surgical gowns. As you know, to sterilize these products using ionizing radiation, which is the most effective of all methods. However, it leads to the destruction of polypropylene, as a result of which its physical and mechanical properties deteriorate. It is also known that the dose of radiation can vary depending on the location of the product in the box. Thus, materials can be degraded to varying degrees depending on the location in the box from the electronic emitter. As the object of study was selected: PP 1562R polypropylene produced by OAO Nizhnekamskneftekhim. It has been established that the location of polypropylene samples upon irradiation has little effect on the degree of their destruction.

A Combined Tie-Fastening Method for the Reusable Surgical Gown with Two Neck Tie Belts to Improve Wearing Comfort

The reusable surgical gowns made of slippery materials have the tendency to slip down as they are being worn. The rear neck tie(s) can sometimes loosen, and this causes the surgical gown to slip down somewhat, making the surgical staff members feel uncomfortable. If the gowns have two rear neck ties with a tendency of loosening and allowing the gowns to slip down, the surgical staff members feel more uncomfortable when there is only one tie loosening but the other tie is tethering. To fasten the neck ties of the surgical gown with two neck tie belts, we propose a simplified method of fastening the two sets of tie belts together as one tie, instead of fastening them separately. The object of this study is to evaluate this combined tying method for its ability to secure the gown and its wearing comfort. We enrolled five volunteers to evaluate the tie loosening condition of the reusable surgical gowns with two sets of rear neck tie belts after a series of upper limb motion exercises while wearing and not wearing the X-ray protective apron beneath the gown. The amount of uppermost rear neck cloth edge separation was recorded before and after the exercise. We also evaluated the wearing comfort of five enrolled operating surgeons for comparing the original and this modified tying method while wearing and not wearing the X-ray protective apron. In the results, we found that combined tying tends to have significantly more rear gown separation (0.94 cm) than separate tying (0.27 cm) after vigorous upper extremities exercise. However, during the actual performance of the surgeries, the rear neck tie(s) loosening and wearing discomfort of the combined tying method was significantly less than using the separate tying method (loosening: 0% vs. 30%) (discomfort: 0% vs. 35%) while the X-ray protective apron was not worn. For reusable surgical gowns that have two rear neck ties, we suggest the two sets of rear neck ties could be fastened together as one combined tie in routine surgical practice. With this, tying could be performed easier and faster, and wearing comfort could be improved.