Task-specific surgical apparel balances comfort with protection

Healthcare Purchasing News, Oct, 2008 by Jeannie Akridge

Innovative fabric technology, enhanced features and functional accessories built into today's surgical gowns and drapes make for increasingly comfortable, user-friendly styles and tailored protection.

With an eye towards matching surgical apparel to the task at hand, Kimberly-Clark Health Care launched an expanded surgical products portfolio at the 55th annual congress of the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) in Anaheim, CA, this Spring. Designed to provide facilities with a choice of solutions to meet both their clinical and financial needs, the portfolio includes three performance classes of gowns, drapes and packs--KC100, KC200 and KC300.

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The new KC100 line provides users with access to reliable, cost-effective sterile and non-sterile protection for everyday use in lower-fluid, shorter procedures such as outpatient surgery, ophthahnic surgery, ENT, hernia, etc. Meeting industry performance standards, the KC100 gowns feature SMS (spunbond/meltblown/ spunbond) fabric for barrier protection, set-in sleeves and hook-and-loop closures.

The KC200 line delivers a balance of comfort and protection appropriate for a wide range of surgical procedures from laparoscopy, minimally invasive surgeries to arthroscopic procedures such as gallbladder surgery and hysterectomy. KC200 surgical gowns meet AORN standards for fluid-, flame- and lint-resistance and are made with comfortable SMS fabric that protects from blood strikethrough.

For best-in-class protection during longer, more invasive and fluid-intensive procedures such as orthopedic surgery, C-sections, etc., the KC300 surgical tier features top-performing ULTRA and MicroCool gowns. Optional Secure-Fit technology prevents gloves from slipping down over the cuffs of the gown during the procedure.

"Not only is [glove slip-down] a distraction for the surgeon, but it also exposes both patient and surgeon to fluid contamination," said Judson Boothe, marketing director of medical supplies for Kimberly-Clark Health Care, Roswell, GA.

Outfitting surgeons and nurses with exceptional softness, Cardinal Health debuted its RoyalSilk surgical gown in a clever haute couture style fashion show at the 2008 AORN Congress. RoyalSilk features a proprietary SMS fabric designed for comfortable, lightweight, breathable softness with protection classified as Level 3 according to the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation's (AAMI) PB70:2003 Liquid Barrier Performance of Protective Apparel standard. (AAMI classifies gowns into four categories according to the degree of liquid barrier penetration, with AAMI Level 1 providing the least protection, and AAMI Level 4 providing impervious protection.)

According to Carl Hall, director of marketing for clinician apparel and patient protection, Cardinal Health, McGaw Park, IL, user trials show that the silky, lightweight material of the RoyalSilk gown also helps to reduce glove roll-down.

RoyalSilk was developed via a customer-centric approach that included customer observations and one-on-one interviews to understand unmet surgical gown needs, remarked Hall. "Obviously surgeons and nurses want something that's not distracting. They want to be able to focus on their procedure and not think about the gown that's on their back. They also want to make sure that they have the appropriate protection." At the same time, "materials management wants to make sure that their surgeons and nurses are happy," he added.

Medline Industries offers users a choice of fabrics on the marketplace with its surgical gown and drape lines. "We're not tied to a fabric technology," said Frank Czajka, president, Proxima drapes and gown division, Medline, Mundelein, IL. "Some fabrics are higher barrier, some have better drapeability or strength, so across that spectrum Medline gives clinicians the choice." Medline's Aurora gown is made from DuPont's Suprel fabric to combine high barrier protection with softness and strength. "High barrier gowns have typically been more brittle, hotter to wear and less comfortable," commented Czajka.

Easy selection

With so many gowns on the market to choose from, manufacturers are making it easier for buyers and end-users to pick the right gown at the right time, as well as incorporating brand-name recognition into apparel designs.

To help identify levels of protection, gowns in the KC200 and KC300 lines feature the Kimberly-Clark Color Key which includes color-coding on neck bands, individual gown packages, and tie cards that explain the type of protection the three different colored neckbands represent. Each surgical gown also features the Kimberly-Clark brand logo on the chest. In addition, the Kimberly-Clark Gown Selector Tool and the Kimberly-Clark Surgical Draping Guide are available online at www.kchealthcare.com/tools.> "It is key to understanding and knowing what types of procedures that your facility is performing to help determine the correct type of surgical gown and drape that is needed to stock," said Boothe. "A purchaser's goal should be focused on providing the correct level of protection that will best fit the needs of the staff that are performing the procedures. Purchasers need to know the average length of time staff members spend in surgery, amount of fluid exposure, etc.