The Influence of Different Plasma Cell Discharges on the Performance Quality of Surgical Gown Samples

An experimental study was performed on a low-density plasma discharge using two different configurations of the plasma cell cathode, namely, the one mesh system electrodes (OMSE) and the one mesh and three system electrodes (OMTSE), to determine the electrical characteristics of the plasma such as current–voltage characteristics, breakdown voltage (VB), Paschen curves, current density (J), cathode fall thickness (dc), and electron density of the treated sample. The influence of the electrical characteristics of the plasma fluid in the cathode fall region for different cathode configuration cells (OMSE and OMTSE) on the performance quality of a surgical gown was studied to determine surface modification, treatment efficiency, exposure time, wettability property, and mechanical properties. Over a very short exposure time, the treatment efficiency for the surgical gown surface of plasma over the mesh cathode at a distance equivalent to the cathode fall distance dc values of the OMTSE and for OMSE reached a maximum. The wettability property decreased from 90 to 40% for OMTSE over a 180 s exposure time and decreased from 90 to 10% for OMSE over a 160 s exposure time. The mechanisms of each stage of surgical gown treatment by plasma are described. In this study, the mechanical properties of the untreated and treated surgical gown samples such as the tensile strength and elongation percentage, ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, strain hardening, resilience, toughness, and fracture (breaking) point were studied. Plasma had a more positive effect on the mechanical properties of the OMSE reactor than those of the OMTSE reactor.

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.

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.

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.

Design and Development of Surgical Gown using Red Seaweed Extract for Hygienic Textiles

The drastic growth in the area of technical textiles and their end-use in healthcare and hygienic textiles create numerous opportunities for the application of novel finishing agents. Novel finishing agents with improved functionality act as natural antimicrobial agents will help to reduce the adverse effects caused by microbes and it is used for several end applications particularly in the barrier material and infection control. The present study was to develop the surgical gown and investigate the presence of bioactive compounds present in the Acanthophora Spicifera seaweed and analysis the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the extract and the treated fabrics using DPPH scavenging activity, disc diffusion, and ENISO20645 test methods. The extractobtained from red seaweed is applied to the bamboo fabric using the pad-dry-cure method for making surgical gown material. The test result shows that the maximum antibacterial activity of the 28mm inhibition zone was observed and the maximum antioxidant inhibition percentage of 77 ±0.17%for both extract and treated fabrics.The presence of bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, tannins, phenols, saponins, and Anthocyanins in the herbal extract was analyzed by using Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) and the functional group present in the herbal extract was analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared Radiation Spectroscopy (FTIR). The physical and comfort properties like air permeability, tensile strength, tearing strength, and wicking behaviour of the treated fabrics were decreases compared to untreated fabrics.Thetreated fabrics are used for a variety of medical applications such as gloves, surgical drapes, wound healing,operation room table covers, and face masks for hygienic and healthcare textiles.

A combined tie-fastening method for the reusable surgical gown with two neck tie belts to improve wearing comfort

Objective 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 would cause the surgical gown to slip down somewhat, making the medical staff feel uncomfortable. To fasten the neck ties of the surgical gown with 2 neck tie belts, we proposed a simplified method of fastening the 2 sets of tie belts together as one tie, instead of fastening them separately. We evaluated this combined tying method for its ability to secure the gown and its wearing comfort.Results We found that combined tying tends to loosen more than separate tying after vigorous upper extremities exercise. But, for wearing comfort during the actual performance of the surgeries, the combined tying method was significantly better than the separate tying method. As a result, for reusable surgical gowns that have 2 rear neck ties, we suggest the 2 sets of rear neck ties could be fastened together as one combined tie. With this, tying could be performed easier and faster, and wearing comfort could be improved.