Medline adds to reusable gown line with Cool-Tex

Health Industry Today, Feb, 1994

Medline Industries, Inc., Mundelein, Ill., is marketing its new Cool-Tex reusable surgical gowns for use in the 20% to 30% of surgical procedures considered "wet." Medline released the gowns in November and is promoting them as the best in providing surgeon comfort.

The Cool-Tex gowns are updated versions of Medline's Gore-Tex gowns, which have been sold for years. The fabric for the front barrier hasn't changed, but the Cool-Tex gowns come with a new back fabric that is more breathable, yet less fluid resistant. The gowns rely on a middle fabric made of a special polymer to prevent viral and bacterial transmission.

Medline officials said the changes were in response to complaints by surgeons who said the Gore-Tex gowns were too hot.

Medline officials are emphasizing the durability of the Cool-Tex gowns, which can withstand 75 processings before the polymer membrane breaks down and the gown must be replaced. Company officials also point to the gowns' resistance to fluid transmission at the seams, which is the most difficult part of the gown to make fluid-resistant.

Medline also is promoting a special five-second test designed to let surgeons know if the gown can be reused.

Medline officials plan to promote the gowns primarily at trade shows and through the company's 300-member direct sales force. Medline will attend trade shows such as the Assn. of Operating Room Nurses and the American College of Surgeons. Medline also has set up a program through which hospitals can try out the gowns for four days while Medline sales reps advise the staff on how to care for them. Medline said the biggest obstacle in the company's sales effort is convincing hospitals that reusable gowns can continue to prevent fluid transmission after being cleaned. To reassure hospitals, Medline reps will work with laundry facilities to make sure the gowns are cleaned properly.

Medline expects to sell 75,000 to 80,000 of the $100 gowns during 1994. Medline said the market potential depends on how much of the market converts to using reusable gowns, and estimates that 50% of the market will convert to reusables in five or 10 years.

Angelica Uniform Group, St. Louis; Baxter Healthcare Corp., McGaw Park, Ill.; Fashion Seal Uniforms, Seminole, Fla.; and Standard Textile, Cincinnati, are Medline's main competitors.