EXISTING SURGICAL GOWNS

IMPACT OF LAUNDERING ON TENSILE STRENGTH TEST RESULTS

Abstract

Textiles perform as an interface between the body and environment. In the new
generation of textiles, this potential of textiles is being utilized to provide the resistance not only
against weather but also against micro-organisms and collision forces etc. the type of weave
has a strong impact on its physical properties. Type of weave also affects the suitability of the
material end use. According to a study by Behera plain weave is more suitable for surgical
apparels in comparison with twill weave because of large pores between two adjoining yarns on
intersection. Fabric construction parameters determine the strength of the fabric. Parameters
are: mass per unit area, number of threads per unit length, maximum force using the strip
method, & yarn count (yarn number). A fabric with high thread count does not allow the
microorganisms to pass through a fabric than a fabric having low/less count. Different Surface
finishes help to decrease the bacterial growth on the surface of fabric. Plasma coated Nonwoven
samples are better repellent of pathogens than re-usable woven fabrics. All surgical
attire has to meet some given standards for tensile strength which dictates the rate of wear and
tear that will affect the required properties. The thought behind this study was to evaluate and
compare the tensile strength of existing surgical gowns among the groups. Objectives: 1) To
find out the Tensile Strength of existing surgical gown fabric before and after laundering (among
three groups of hospitals). 2) To compare the results of Tensile Strength of existing surgical
gowns (among three groups of hospitals) being used in hospitals of Lahore. Study Design: The
study has experimental design. Period: March 2011- March. 2012. Materials and methods:
Samples of fabric used for making surgical gowns were collected from different hospitals of
Lahore and evaluated for Tensile Strength before and after laundering at Textile Lab. Result
and Conclusions: On the whole a decreasing trend was observed for tensile strength in all
3 groups of hospitals from 0 to 20th laundering. Group B of hospitals showed lowest tensile
strength observation whereas the highest value was observed in group A of hospitals. The
lowest observation for tensile strength was found in Group B of hospitals whereas in group C
the highest value was observed it’s clear that fabrics of group B showed lowest tensile strength
rating in test results for both warp and weft directions. Whereas group A of hospitals showed
highest tensile strength test results among the groups in warp and in weft group C showed high
results.