What are the differences between surgical gowns and protective gowns?

Surgical gowns and protective gowns are commonly used personal protective equipment in hospitals. In the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020, with the development of the epidemic, the hospital is in urgent need of medical supplies, caring people from all over the country have donated supplies to the hospital. In the survey, it was found that people confused about protective gowns and surgical gowns. Let’s discuss the differences between the two pieces of equipment.

• What are the differences between surgical gowns and protective gowns?

What are the differences between surgical gowns and protective gowns?

1. From their different definitions:

① The protective gown consists of a hooded jacket and pants. It can be divided into the connected structure and split structure. The legs and cuffs are tightened, and the protective clothing has a higher level of protection than the protective clothing. Disposable is generally recommended. Protective gowns must have liquid barrier function (water permeability resistance, moisture permeability, synthetic blood penetration resistance, surface moisture resistance), flame retardant and antistatic properties, and have requirements on breaking strength, breaking elongation, filtration efficiency, etc. 

② Surgical gowns should be impermeable, sterile, conjoined, and without caps. Generally, the cuffs of surgical gowns are elastic and easy to wear, so aseptic gloves are favorable to wear. It is not only used to protect medical personnel from contamination of infectious substances, but also to protect the aseptic state of the exposed site.

2. The standard for wearing the two different gowns:

①Protective gowns should be worn by patients who are in contact with Class A infectious diseases or who are suspected or confirmed to be infected with SARS, Ebola, MERS, or Avian Flu H7N9, and should follow the latest infection control guidelines.

②Surgical gowns: It is strictly sterile and used for invasive treatment of patients in specialized operating rooms.

3. Their different functions:

① Protective gowns are worn by clinical medical personnel when in contact with patients with Class A infectious diseases or those managed as Class A infectious diseases. A protective gown is to prevent health care workers from being infected, is single isolation.

② The surgical gown plays a two-way protective role in the operation process. First, the garment creates a barrier between the patient and the medical staff, reducing their exposure to potential sources of infection, such as the patients’ blood or other body fluids during surgery. Therefore, the barrier function of the surgical gown is regarded as the key to reducing the risk of infection during surgery.

Rhycom Factory is an enterprise specializing in the production and export of disposable non-woven fabrics and plastic products. The company was established in 2007 and has independent export qualifications. It is one of the "Overseas Certification/Authorized Medical Device and Supplies Enterprise Directory" published by the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Medicines and Health Products. The products are mainly exported to South America, North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and other countries, and recently sold to many domestic tertiary hospitals.  They are looking forward to working with you.