GB2101469A - Operation garment - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention refers to a surgical garment (1) or similar working garment which prevents distribution of airborn body fragment or microorganisms, for example in the form of human skin fragments or the like, which carry bacteria, the garment (1) being formed to enclose the body of the wearer and at least in part the extremities, in such a way that the volume of the air inside the garment essentially is enclosed, that the material in the garment comprises of an electrostatically chargeable material, which with friction against the body, and/or another proportionately likewise electrostatically chargeable garment, attract and bind the body fragments or the microorganisms to it. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Operation garment The present invention refers to an operation garment or a similar working garment which prevents distribution of airborn microorganisms, for example in the form of bacteria carrying human skin fragments and the like.

Distribution of microorganisms from human skin in connection with surgical operations and the like has been a known and unsolved problem during a long period of time. Operations personnel involuntarily distribute bacteria and microorganisms to the operation wound of the patient and this sometimes gives rise to undesirable post-operative infections of different degree of difficulty to the detriment of the patient and the operation result. Already by the end of the nineteenth century J. Lister (British Medical Journal 2:225, 1871) observed the problem with the distribution of microorganisms and since then a number of technics with varying success have been proposed to solve the problem.Totally enclosing tight garments naturally screen off the distribution of microorganisms effectively from the wearer to the surroundings but such a garment has a number of serious disadvantages. The convenience, which is an important factor when surgical operations lasting several hours are common, is reduced for example through the difficulty that the temperature inside the garment is hard to maintain at a convenient level in a smooth and easy manner. For the wearers, the surgeons, freedom of movement and vision field run the risk of being unfavourable limited and ventilation of the garment brings about problems.

Operation garments today have the disadvantages that the air between the garment and the body of the wearer, recirculates through the pumping effect which occurs when the wearer is moving. Subsequently the change of air round the body becomes large and skin fragment, contaminated with microorganisms and bacteria, distributes in the surrounding of the wearer. It has through research been shown that above all, the area of the sexual organs of women and men emit large amounts of microorganisms and therefore it is important that particularly these areas are effectively prevented from distributing skin fragments.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the above mentioned disadvantages and to provide an operation garment which is light and comfortable to use and which accomplish protection against distribution of contaminated microorganisms emitted from the operations personnel at surgical operations or the like. The operation garment should also be simple and cheap to produce.

According to the invention there is provided an operation garment or similar working garment which prevents the distribution of airborn body fragments or microorganisms for example in the form of bacteria carrying human skin fragments and the like, wherein the garment is formed to enclose the body of the wearer and at least in part the extremities, in such a way that the volume of the air inside the garment essentially is enclosed, that the material in the garment comprises an electrostatically chargeable material, which with friction against the body, and/or another proportionately electrostatically chargeable garment, attract and bind the body fragments or microorganisms to it.

The present invention will be described in a preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 shows a front view of an operation garment constructed according to the present invention and which is provided with foot protectors, and Fig. 2 shows an alternative embodiment of an operation garment where only tight fitting wristlets are provided at the ankles.

In Fig. 1 is shown a proposed design of an operation garment 1. It comprises a closed overall provided with a zip fastener 2 at the front. The body (not shown) is completely enclosed by the garment except for the head and the hands. At the region of the wrists the garment is provided with elastic wristlets 3 which accomplish tight fit against the wrists. At the neck the garment is formed with a small width to provide a tight fit to the body. The garment is otherwise proportionately freely formed, i.e. it is not close to the body but a space is arranged between the garment and the body. It has been shown that if the volume of air which is present between the body and the garment is kept constant the risk is small that skin fragments with microorganisms be spread out to the surroundings through the garment.The reason is that the pumping effect which commonly occurs with body movements only displaces the air volume inside the garment but the air is not pumped in and out through the garment which is usually in ordinary garments.

Since a certain volume air is present inside the garment a higher degree of convenience is obtained which is important. Secreted humidity from the body must be able to be absorbed by the surrounding air so that appropriate cooling to the body is obtained. Otherwise there is a risk of accelerated transpiration by the wearer of the garment which results in unfavourable consequences with respect to the spread of microorganisms.

The garment is produced in a material which in some degree admits penetration of air but is provided with very small pores or holes. Since the pores in the material are very small a filtering effect is achieved in such a way that the skin fragment and similar small particles not are able to pass through the material. It is furthermore important that the material can be electrostatically charged through the natural friction which occurs with normal movements for example when the arms rub against the sides of the body or by the garment rubbing against the underwear. It is earlier known that electrically charged bodies or material attract other bodies in the neighbourhood. This phenomenon is used in the operation garment to attract the small particles which are emitted from the skin in the form of skin fragments, microorganisms or the like.Since the material of the garment in some degree is penetrable for air it will therefore act like an electrostatic filter.

For material of the garment it has been shown that a non-woven material of polypropylene possesses the appropriate qualities, partly with respect to the air penetration and partly with respect to the possibility of charge of the material.

If underwear is produced of a material with the same or with similar qualities, the mentioned favourable electrical chargeability is secured.

Underwear of another material, for example of cotton, can not generate static electricity in any material degree. One further advantage with said underwear, of for example polypropylene or the like, is that a more uniform distribution of the static electric charge of the garment is also achieved. Naturally the charging must not occur without restraint, which could result in undesirable discharges which in turn could disturb the wearer and may cause accidents for examples in connection with combustible anaesthetic gases and the like. Appropriate material for operation garments with the above mentioned qualities can comprise 58% rayon, 14% polypropylene and 28% binding agents or 49% rayon, 21% polyamide and 30% binding agents.

It is of course possible to produce operation garments with other designs than the garment shown in Fig. 1. The garment can be designed in several parts for example comprising one upper part and one lower part which are provided with connecting zip fasteners or the like between the parts. The garment can also be provided with any form of hood or as is shown in Fig. 2 produced without foot protection. In this case, in a similar way as at the wrists, the areas of the ankles are provided with elastic wristlets which tighten around the ankles.

Claims (5)

1. An operation garment or similar working garment which prevents the distribution of airborn body fragments or microorganisms, for example in the form of bacteria carrying human skin fragments and the like, wherein the garment is formed to enclose the body of the wearer and at least in part the extremities, in such a way that the volume of the air inside the garment essentially is enclosed, that the material in the garment comprises an electrostatically chargeable material, which with friction against the body, and/or another proportionately electrostatically chargeable garment, attract and bind the body fragments or microorganisms to it.

2. An operation garment according to claim 1, wherein the material of the garment comprises of 58% rayon, 14% polypropylene and 28% binding agents.

3. An operation garment according to claim 1, wherein the material of the garment comprises of 49% rayon, 21% polyamid and 30% binding agents.

4. An operation garment substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings.

5. An operation garment substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.