COMPARISON OF PORE SIZE ANALYSIS OF EXISTING AND EXPERIMENTAL SURGICAL GOWNS

Abstract

… Majority of the public and private sector hospitals are using reusable gowns andscrubs whereas only a few hospitals are using disposable ones. Protection during surgery is veryimportant both for the patient as well as for the surgeon. The reasons are not only hygienic butalso creating a barrier so that the bacteria and the viruses do not transfer from patient to doctorand vice versa. The surgical gowns have been in use for many decades. With the advancementsin the field of manufacturing (weaving and finishing), the quality of gowns has been improvingover the period of time. In Pakistan, there is no awareness yet regarding the construction ofsurgical apparels viz. surgical gowns and scrubs so no standards are being followed as suchduring the manufacturing (weaving & finishing) of surgical apparels. For effective barrier functionof surgical gowns and scrubs, it is necessary for them to comply with certain standards in terms ofphysical characteristics viz. mass per unit area, number of threads per unit length, tensilestrength etc. The idea behind this study was to evaluate the physical characteristics of surgicalgowns and scrubs currently being used in different public sector hospitals of Lahore. Objectives:(1) To evaluate the pore size of existing and experimental surgical gowns being used in differenthospitals of Lahore. (2) To compare the pore size analysis of existing surgical gowns withexperimental surgical gowns. Study Design: Experimental study design was used. Duration:January 2014- April 2014. Materials and Methods: Samples of fabric used for making surgicalgowns and scrubs were collected from different hospitals of Lahore and evaluated for pore sizewith the help of optic microscope. For experimental gowns the fabric was developed according tothe international standards. Pore size of surgical gowns was measured with the help of scanningelectron microscope. Results: The results showed large pores in existing surgical gown. Nolength or width wise pores in the experimental surgical gowns fabric except there are tiny holes of0.5 after 20 launderings. The existing reusable surgical gowns did not offer any resistance againstbacterial penetration because of large pores. Conclusions: The fabric used for the existingsurgical gowns was not up to the mark and did show large pores under microscope. Theexperimental surgical gown showed no pores in the fabric structure when subjected to scanningelectron microscope. The functional ability of resistance against bacterial penetration of thesurgical gowns is important because the risk of SSI. If the patient develops SSI weather it isgrades 1, 2 or 3, the cost is significant. The cost effectiveness of the existing reusable surgicalgowns becomes insignificant as none of the existing surgical gowns offer any resistance againstbacterial penetration and the risk of SSI with subsequent treatment cost. Necessary guidelinescan be formulated and proposed to the concerned departments of various hospitals, in the lightof which they can design some specifications and select appropriate materials for surgicalapparels in future.