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+--- Thread: Reducing the risk of wound infections with disposable surgical clothing (/showthread.php?tid=252)
Reducing the risk of wound infections with disposable surgical clothing - kkjds1fs - 08-17-2021
To minimize the risk of germ transfer in surgical operating theatres, sterile draping of patients, their surroundings and the wearing of sterile clothing are all essential safety measures, irrespective of the nature of the operation. Given their vital role in infection protection, draping materials and operating theatre clothing are legally regarded as medical products with their production and quality testing subject to European Standard EN 13795.
Reducing the risk of wound infections with disposable surgical clothing
Different operations have different risks of infection. Long, complex operations involving high levels of blood and irrigating fluids, carry the highest risk while risk is lower, but still present, in shorter operations where large amounts of body fluids are not expected. Even with careful observance of hygiene standards, and execution of the usual antibiotic prophylaxis, there is infection at the surgical site in approx. 1-5 % of elective surgical procedures. For the patients affected, this means an extension of their pain and functional restrictions – even if there are no more serious consequences.
Single use vs. Reusable Materials
The material used in surgical drapes and sterile clothing also raises issues of health economics. Draping materials and operating theatre clothing made of nonwoven fabric are often preferred to reusable textile systems due to the material safety and the associated high level of protection against infection. Although these are the most important reasons, another benefit is that single-use materials remove the need for sophisticated reprocessing of reusable textile systems, which is a cost-intensive undertaking.
Medical products are classified into two performance levels: high performance and standard performance. This means that draping materials and 68g original-spunlace nonwoven surgical gowns can be tailored exactly to the respective surgery-specific requirements in material quality and product design. This flexibility allows hospitals to choose safe, cost-effective standard performance speciality medical drapes for low-risk operations and specific tailored surgical gowns for higher-risk operations involving large amounts of body fluids.
Single-use and reusable products are subject to the same safety standards as applied to reusable products for their entire life cycle.
The minor procedure sets contain a large assortment of instruments. All tools are manufactured of high-quality nonwoven and are contained in a durable canvas case.