Method of selecting or identifying a surgical gown

Abstract

A method and related system are provided for selecting a gown to be worn during a medical procedure according to a degree of barrier protection provided by the gown. A plurality of surgical gowns are provided having varying degrees of barrier protection. Each of the gowns is marked with visible indicia that indicates the degree of barrier protection of the respective gown. A comprehensive listing of information is provided on each of the gowns that indicates the different degrees of protection and corresponding indicia for all the gowns.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application is a Continuation-in-Part (CIP) application of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 325,628 filed on Dec. 20, 2002.BACKGROUND [0002] Surgeons and other healthcare providers often wear an over garment during operating procedures in order to enhance the sterile condition in the operating room and to protect the wearer. The over garment is typically a gown that has a main body portion to which respective sleeves are attached. In order to prevent the spread of infection to and from the patient, the surgical gown prevents bodily fluids and other liquids present during surgical procedures from flowing through the gown. [0003] Contamination could occur, for instance, if during surgery the surgical gown used is not sufficiently fluid repellant and becomes saturated with blood. This blood may be wicked through the surgical gown and may wet the under clothes and / or the skin of the healthcare provider. This penetration of fluid is sometimes referred ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0024] In a particularly useful embodiment, the listing information is printed or otherwise provided on a tie card attached to each of gown. With this embodiment, both the user and the person assisting in the donning process can readily verify that the correct type of gown is being used for the intended procedure.

Problems solved by technology

Contamination could occur, for instance, if during surgery the surgical gown used is not sufficiently fluid repellant and becomes saturated with blood.

This blood may be wicked through the surgical gown and may wet the under clothes and / or the skin of the healthcare provider.

Microorganisms present on the skin or under clothes may then be carried outward through capillary channels in the surgical gown to the surface of the gown, consequently contaminating the gown.

A disadvantage of the materials used in these types of gowns is that they tend to form lint, which is capable of becoming airborne or clinging to the clothes of the wearer, thereby providing another potential source of contamination.

Additionally, since these gowns were costly, laundering and sterilization procedures were required before reuse.

While such completely impervious material provides a high degree of protection, a surgical gown constructed of this material is typically very heavy due to the weight of the material, expensive, and usually hot to the wearer.

However, the higher the breathability of the material, the lower the repellency of the material.

This in turn limits the use of the gown or the effectiveness of the gown in these particular areas.

As such, it is not feasible or economical to use the same type of surgical gown for every surgical procedure conducted by the healthcare provider.

It is the case that current practices relating to the selection of a surgical gown to be used in a particular surgical procedure are not uniform across the healthcare industry due to the fact that healthcare providers select gowns based on brand names and their own personal experiences.

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