Fibers From Disposable Gowns and Drapes

Abstract

To the Editor.— As an epidemiologist, I question several conclusions Dr Dragan drew: Dr Dragan states that there was a rise in postoperative morbidity during the 18-month use of disposable paper gowns and drapes in his hospital; however, he does not state what the incidence of postoperative morbidity was prior to that 18-month period. Was there any statistically significant difference? No mention of any control group was made in this study. No classification or cohorting of patients was done as to age, underlying disease, or type of surgery. There were a variety of complications listed—everything from keloids to intestinal obstruction. Dr Dragan stated that he was able to achieve a positive fiber (wood) identification in only eight of the cases. Based on Dr Dragan's statistics regarding about 1,000 surgical procedures during which disposables were used, the incidence of postoperative morbidity in these patients was 0.8%;