OR apparel makers weave comfort, value into innovative products

Healthcare Purchasing News, Sept, 2003 by Julie Williamson

When discussing cutting edge technology in the operating room, most conversations turn to voice activated equipment, next-generation booms and monitors, and a gaggle of other gadgets that seem better suited to a sci-fi movie than a surgical suite.

But there are a host of other innovative "smart products" that protect patients and workers that are equally worthy of attention that make surgical apparel manufacturers rightfully clamor for their place in the product spotlight. While OR apparel's primary function is infection control, today's surgical staff is demanding more. And it appears suppliers are rising to the challenge, offering a broad range of gowns, drapes, face masks, gloves and other items that provide the very latest in protection, design and comfort--at a cost that won't bottom out the budget.

"Companies, regardless of their specialty, are being forced to meet customer needs and demands in terms of quality and innovation, and at the same time, keep costs to a minimum," said Jennie Simmons, RN, president of Surgery Center Consultants, Tucker, GA. "Surgical apparel is one of those areas that is offering customers more. Like other [sectors], surgical apparel manufacturers are constantly searching for ways to increase effectiveness, comfort and efficiencies. The result is products that offer more features at a reasonable price--and perhaps even less than [models] of the past."

The timing for such innovative products couldn't be better given the healthcare community's heightened emphasis on infection control. Beyond that, the nation faces the possibility of new and unforeseen risks, such as the possibility of SARS outbreaks and bioterrorism and biochemical attacks, which make the development of cutting edge apparel even more critical, sources told Healthcare Purchasing News.

Gowns get facelift

Some of the most notable advances in surgical apparel can be found in surgical gowns. Many manufacturers now use technologically advanced fabrics and innovative seaming techniques that offer improved protection and comfort--features that in the past some users have found mutually exclusive.

"What we're seeing in the marketplace is the need to offer both added protection and enhanced comfort. Historically, that has proven challenging in a gown because adding greater protection usually meant impeding its comfort and breathability. We are now seeing that you don't have to sacrifice one for the other," noted Frank Czajka, product manager, Proxima division, Medline Industries, Mundelein, IL.

For its Proxima line of disposable protective surgical apparel, Medline recently partnered with DuPont Medical Fabrics to offer customers a drapeable, soft spunlaced fabric that combines the natural feel of cotton with advances in material technology to provide a splash resistant barrier. For added comfort and protection, the new gowns also feature a roomier chest and sleeves, longer lengths and larger reinforced zones. What's more, the manufacturing process uses no binders, chemicals or adhesives, which minimizes the possibility of product contamination and allergic reactions.

Medline's latest addition to the Proxima line, due for release this month, is the Aurora gown. According to Czajka, the gown will feature Suprell fabric that provides "greatly increased repelleney and unsurpassed comfort."

Suppliers like McGaw Park, IL-based Cardinal Health are also promising improved barrier protection and breathability. For example, Cardinal has added the Astound gown to its Convertors surgical apparel line. The gown employs "microfiber technology" and features upgraded fabric for better barrier protection and comfort. According to Jon Stamm, senior market manager for Convertors protective apparel, "Astound is 35 percent lighter and offers 25 percent more air permeability" than Cardinal's earlier model, Optima.

Also relatively new to the Convertors lineup is the Smart Gown, which is impervious to fluids, yet breathable, thanks to a monolithic responsive membrane that responds to temperature and wicks moisture away from the body.

Recognizing that blood strikethrough often occurs on the wrist/forearm and abdominal areas, primarily because the surgeon has to lean into the drape and apply pressure throughout the procedure, manufacturers may incorporate varying levels of reinforcements to those two key areas. According to Ron Evans, executive vice president of corporate development for Maxxim Medical, Clearwater, FL, those reinforcements can range from "a single layer of additional fabric that is applied to the inside of the gown to laminated reinforcements" that make the product more impervious.

As a measure of further protection against bloodborne pathogens and other potentially hazardous fluids, some manufacturers are turning to advanced seaming technology to eliminate small puncture holes caused by traditional seam-sewing methods. Kappler, Guntersville, AL relies on an "ultra-sonically welded seam sealing" process for its ProVent surgical apparel that the company says completely seals all seams without puncturing the fabric. Beyond that, Kappler prefers not to zone its gowns for protection, instead offering "the same high-level barrier protection all the way around the gown," said Laura Kappler-Roberts, the company's business development manager.