top of page
Your One-Stop Medical Solution
Gowns are examples of personal protective equipment used in healthcare settings. They are used to protect the carrier from the spread of infection or disease if the carrier comes in contact with potentially infectious liquids and solids. They can also be used to prevent the gown wearer from transferring microorganisms that could harm vulnerable patients, such as those with weakened immune systems. Gowns are part of a comprehensive infection control strategy. Some of the many terms that have been used to refer to gowns intended for use in healthcare settings include surgical gowns, isolation gowns, surgical isolation gowns, non-surgical gowns, procedural gowns and operating room gowns.
In 2004, the FDA recognized the American National Standards Institute / Association of the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (ANSI / AAMI) consensus standard PB70: 2003, "Fluid Barrier Performance and Classification of Protective Clothing and Curtains intended for use in healthcare establishments. " The new terminology in the standard describes the levels of barrier protection for gowns and other protective clothing intended for use in healthcare settings and specifies test methods and performance results necessary to verify and validate that the gown offers the newly defined levels of protection:
Level 1: minimal risk, to be used, for example, during basic care, standard isolation, visitor protection gown or in a standard medical unit.
Level 2: low risk, to be used, for example, during a blood test, a suture, in the intensive care unit (ICU) or in a pathology laboratory.
Level 3: moderate risk, to be used, for example, during an arterial blood test, the insertion of an intravenous (IV) line, in the emergency room or in cases of trauma.
Level 4: High risk, to be used, for example, during long and intense fluid-intensive procedures, surgery, when resistance to pathogens is required or infectious diseases are suspected (non-airborne).
Regardless of the product name (i.e. isolation gown, procedural gown, or protective gown), when choosing gowns, look for the product labeling that describes intended use along with the level of desired protection based on the above risk levels. Product names are not standardized.
bottom of page