How to sterilize surgical gowns

  Surgical gowns

Due to the high degree of hygiene required by the medical field, the standard version of these disposable surgical gowns can be sterilized in autoclave at 134°C.

Initially, surgical gowns were developed and used by the doctors and nurses to protect patients from bacterial infection. Recently function of protecting clothing have extended to health care workers due to increased occupational exposure to blood borne pathogens such as HIV ( human immunodeficiency viruses ), Hepatisis B & C viruses etc. Basically surgical gowns are two types i.e ( i ) Disposable and ( ii ) Reusable, both types are used as surgical wear. Disposable gowns are made from non-woven fabric and discarded after single use. Reusable gowns are made from woven fabric , laundered and sterilized after each use. Plain weave polyester/ cotton blended or polyester fabric is used for surgical gown manufacturing. Tri-laminate fabrics composed of a micro-porous membrane between woven polyester and knitted polyester is also used for gown manufacturing. Gown fabric needs different level of liquid protection depending on varying level of blood exposure . In addition to barrier effect surgical gown also needs wearing comfort