[Operating room clothing and patient draping. Status: 3 July 1992]

OR clothing and patient draping materials must provide an effective barrier against spread of infection from both staff and patient to the wound and, just as important, from patient to staff. Today, conventional cotton fabric is still being widely used, the pore size of which being at least 80 mu i.e. this material can be penetrated by all bacteria and bacteria-carrying particles less than 80 mu. The three main demands on material properties, i.e. liquid impermeability, absorbency and water vapour permeability cannot be optimally combined with each other. From the hygienic viewpoint, the most important criterion is liquid "impermeability".