The barrier efficacy of protective surgical gowns has gained importance due to the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B and C viruses in the patient population. Most surgical gown fabrics are tested and categorized using standard laboratory conditions which are different from the conditions encountered in the surgical area. The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Association of Operating Room Nurses (AORN) have published regulations that indicate surgical apparel should protect wearers ''under normal conditions of use and for the duration of time [for] which it will be used'' (Federal Register 56, p. 64177). This research examined factors influencing the liquid penetration of surgical gown fabric during use. Two fabrics currently in common use for surgical gowns, a disposable material and a reusable material, were tested using AATCC 42 (the Impact Penetration Test) and AATCC 127 (Hydrostatic Pressure Test) called for in ASTM F2407 (Specification for Surgical Gowns Intended for Use in Healthcare Facilities). Variables in this study were ambient/fabric temperature, challenge liquid type, challenge liquid temperature, and wetness of fabrics. Results indicated that ambient/fabric temperature, challenge liquid type and challenge liquid temperature did impact the liquid penetration of fabric. Increasing ambient/fabric temperature led to increases in liquid penetration of fabrics. Type of challenge liquid significantly influenced liquid penetration of fabrics, with higher penetration when fabrics were challenged by synthetic blood. There were also significant increases in liquid penetration of fabrics after pre-wetting the inner or outer surface of the fabric. The overall conclusion drawn from this study was that protective clothing materials need to be evaluated under normal condition of use; standard testing procedure may give a false measure of the protective performance of products when conditions of use vary from conditions in the test method. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Textiles and Consumer Sciences in
partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2007. / Date of Defense: August 2, 2007. / Perspiration, Synthetic Blood, Temperature, Liquid Penetration, Pre-Wetting, Surgical Gown / Includes bibliographical references. / Rinn M. Cloud, Professor Directing Dissertation; Xufeng Niu, Outside Committee Member; Mary Ann Moore, Committee Member; Emily Haymes, Committee Member; Kay Grise, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_168119 |
| Contributors | Cao, Wei (authoraut), Cloud, Rinn M. (professor directing dissertation), Niu, Xufeng (outside committee member), Moore, Mary Ann (committee member), Haymes, Emily (committee member), Grise, Kay (committee member), Department of Retail Merchandising and Product Development (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
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