Theatre gowns: a survey of the extent of user protection.

This paper describes a survey of contamination by blood and other body fluids to theatre staff during general and orthopaedic surgery. Fourteen surgeons completed questionnaires following 243 operations, providing information describing the extent of contamination. Recommendations are made for more extensive precautions to be taken when operating on patients considered to be at high-risk of carrying human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Further assessment of the reliability and comfort of impermeable gowns is required.