The effect of surgical gowns made with barrier cloth on bacterial dispersal.

A dispersal chamber (body box) technique has been used to compare bacterial dispersal from the skin of subjects carrying out a stepping test under controlled conditions while wearing four differing garment systems namely: basic underwear, cotton 'blues' (standard pyjama style jacket and trousers for men or dress for women), ankle socks, boots for men and shoes for women, mask and theatre hat; the basic set covered with a cotton gown; the basic set covered by a gown with a front made from GORE-TEX fabric in which an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene membrane is sandwiched between layers of woven or knitted polyester; the basic set covered with a fully enclosed suit of the same fabric. A slit sampler was used to measure the number of bacteria liberated in a downward current of air. Six subjects (three female and three male) were studied. Males liberated more bacteria. Covering the 'blues' with a cotton gown increased the bacterial count; a gown of the new material reduced the increase by 50%, and the suit cut the dispersal to virtually zero. Preliminary work suggests that GORE-TEX garments survive laundering better than cotton, and may be cost-effective, but are not yet as comfortable. Research is presently in progress to improve this aspect.