Surgical gowns as a safety barrier under non-standard environmental conditions

Area of Science:

• Infection Control
• Surgical Safety
• Microbiology

Background:

• Surgical site infections remain a significant concern.
• The integrity of surgical attire as a barrier is crucial for patient safety.
• Understanding gown contamination dynamics is vital for infection prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively evaluate the contamination levels on surgical gowns during operative procedures.
• To determine if surgical gowns serve as a source of microbial contamination within the first hour of surgery.
• To assess the impact of environmental factors on gown contamination.

Main Methods:

• Prospective collection of gown samples from five surgeons across 19 surgeries using sterile swabs.
• Sampling at three time points (pre-incision, 30 min, 60 min) from wrists and mid-chest.
• Environmental monitoring of operating room temperature and humidity, alongside settle plate analysis.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in bacterial or fungal colony-forming units per gram (CFU/g) counts across sampling sites or over time.
• Surgeon's dominant hand or lateral dexterity did not influence gown contamination.
• Despite environmental fluctuations, gown contamination levels remained consistently low.

Conclusions:

• Surgical gowns provide an effective barrier against bacterial and fungal contamination during the initial hour of surgery.
• Gown integrity is maintained even under varying operating room environmental conditions.
• Current surgical gown materials are adequate for preventing microbial transfer in the early surgical phase.