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Surgical gowns should be designed and produced using special techniques to provide barrier properties against potential risks during surgery and healthcare procedures. Ultrasonic welding is one of these methods used to produce surgical gowns with determined barrier properties. The purpose of this paper is to analyse bond strength and permeability properties of ultrasonically welded nonwoven fabrics and compare them with traditional sewing techniques.

In this study, ultrasonic welding of nonwovens was performed to demonstrate its use as an assembly method. Performance requirements in the design of surgical gowns were determined. Fabric strengths and bond strengths of ultrasonic-welded and traditionally sewn fabrics were analysed. The performance properties, i.e., bond strength, air and water resistance of the fabrics and the joints obtained by ultrasonic and classical sewing methods were studied.

As a result, it was found that ultrasonic welding technique is a suitable method for joining layers in surgical gown production bringing the advantages of high water resistance together with acceptable bond strength.

The current study focuses on the use of ultrasonic welding of nonwovens used for disposable protective surgical gowns. Ultrasound welding technique was presented as an alternative to classic assembly methods and ultrasonic welding technology was applied to different fabric combinations simulating different layers in different joining sections of a surgical gown.

The purpose of this paper is to propose the materials structure-wetting behaviour relationships and to show their peculiarities for some types of surgical woven fabrics and applications of liquids.

To show the effects of fabrics structure on wetting behaviour of surgical textile materials, the special structural indices in terms of yarns and filaments lateral area were used.

It was shown good correlation between total lateral area of filaments in unit area of woven fabrics and wetting contact angle of liquid drops on the tested samples. Probably due to different structure of woven fabrics at a level of fibres, another index, i.e. total lateral area of yarns in unit area of fabrics, is not suitable to show clear effect on wetting behaviour of the samples. The possibilities of applications of relationships for several types of textile materials and liquids were indicated.

To date there are no investigations concerning relationships between special structural properties of the surgical woven fabrics and their wetting behaviour. On a basis of the proposed approach into fabrics structure evaluation, this study developed analysis and some types of new equations for prediction of wetting contact angle of the materials.

Surgical gown fabrics are categorized for liquid penetration resistance by standard tests under specified laboratory conditions, which can be different from the conditions encountered in the surgical environment. The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of temperature and challenge liquid (CL) type on the effectiveness of liquid penetration resistance of surgical gown fabrics.

One disposable and one reusable surgical gown fabric were tested for liquid penetration using standard methods required in American Society for Testing Materials F2407 for classifying the materials used in Levels 1‐3 surgical gowns. Standard test conditions were compared to varied conditions of ambient/fabric temperature (AFT), CL type and challenge liquid temperature (CLT). Analysis of variance was used to determine the effects of variables on liquid penetration.

AFT, CL type and CLT were significant (p<0.05) variables for liquid penetration for at least one of the test fabrics. Higher ambient temperature, fabric and liquid temperature conditions resulted in greater liquid penetration. Use of synthetic blood as the CL resulted in higher liquid penetration than observed with distilled water.

Results suggest that temperatures within the range of body heat or ambient surgical environments are sufficient to affect liquid penetration of surgical gown fabrics. Also, the use of CLs other than distilled water and the use of CLs warmed to body temperature may be needed to accurately assess the liquid penetration resistance of surgical gown fabrics. Level of protection afforded by surgical gowns may be compromised by variability in these conditions.

Conventional wisdom has held that differences between standard testing temperatures and body temperature or ambient temperature in the surgical theatre were insufficient to influence liquid penetration. This study has shown otherwise. No previous studies were found that addressed these variables but our study illustrates their effect on selected materials.

Hospitals will continue to be the largest consumers of disposables, because of the diverse range of procedures they provide. Favourable growth is forecast for non‐wovens. Increasing concern over contamination and nosocomial infections will boost the demand for consumable and disposable surgical gowns and drapes. But, until now neither the manufacturers nor the end users of surgical gowns and drapes could agree on standards. So, a mandatory European standard is being developed to establish basic requirements and test methods for disposable and reusable materials used for surgical gowns and drapes. Once this standard has been adopted, the continued use of cotton textiles and conventional cotton‐polyester mixed textiles will become questionable.

Personal Protective Equipment plays an inevitable part in the current scenario of pandemics in the world. A novel coronavirus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus-2 (SARS-Cov 2), began as an outbreak of pneumonia in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019, and quickly spread worldwide. It quickly escalated into an international public health crisis. This opened up the high demand for the innovation and research of new materials in the Personal Protective Equipment industry.

PubMed, Embase and Google Scholar were searched for relevant literature regarding personal protective equipment and the information was organized in a systematic way.

There are no adequate number of studies taken up in the field of use of textiles in medical applications especially with PPEs.

This structured review will generate a sense of the significance of using PPE for controlling pandemics and also awaken need for additional research and innovations in this area.

The authorities of the management should take timely intervention in choosing the right material for their PPE in their hospitals. Hence health care professionals teams have an inevitable role in preventing the adverse environmental impact due to the inadvertent disposal of PPEs.

There is a lack of systematic way of disposing contaminated single-use face masks in a safe, environmentally acceptable manner. The dumping of single-use PPE in domestic garbage has had an adverse effect on the environment. Mismanaged plastic waste endangers the health of ecosystems by polluting marine and terrestrial environments, posing a significant risk of ingestion or injury to animals and contaminating habitats.

This review article provides an in-depth review of the use of different materials in PPE and challenges regarding its long-term use and implications on the environment.

For years, the main reason for using textiles in the health care sector was to protect the patient from the medical staff. Nowadays, the garment has to play another role and protect the wearer. For dentists, risks can come from saliva which is considered potentially infectious because it frequently contains blood. This paper aims to define dentist gown specifications according to the new situation, and to propose new garments providing safety protective function as well as comfort.

Enquiries, direct interviews as well as internet forums have been used to extract dentists' requirements taking into account their need of barrier and their comfort concerns. Studies of the spraying area on the gowns have been performed to define the location of the required protection. A study of the warmer zone of the garment via IR camera has been done. Two prototypes have then been constructed and tested.

Images of impacts of drops that could cause cross‐infection allow defining the zones which are to be specifically protected. Thermographic images provide maps of hot zones of the garment when worn in working conditions, and information is obtained of desired open space zones which have been designed to create preferential ventilation required for comfort improvement. A second prototype was designed to improve results of the first one.

Replacement of current dentists garment in routine situation.

Dentists' gowns used in dental care have not been studied and not been redesigned yet, whereas new dentists are facing new risks and eagerly looking for personal protective equipment providing safety protective function as well as comfort.

More and more disposable goods are available in surgical rooms. Rules and standards have been proposed in order to prevent infection from patient to surgical team and vice versa. A proposed mandatory European standard prEn 13795 “Surgical drapes, gowns and clear air suits used as medical devices, for patients, clinical staff and equipment”, is being developed by the Committee of European Normalisation and specifies the basic performance requirements and test methods for single‐use and reusable materials after sterilisation process. Therefore, the performances of the surgical gowns demand a balance between barrier and comfort properties. In comfort evaluation, tactile feeling is one of the most primary and important aspects with regard to the grading of the products. Therefore, the influence of the sterilisation process on the tactile perception is important to be evaluated. Subsequently, the final aim of this paper is to contribute to the knowledge of influence of sterilisation treatment on the tactile perception.

The purpose of this explorative research is to analyse the resilience of the United Kingdom's (UK) healthcare supply chains from a customer’s perspective in the light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Using the capabilities of preparedness, robustness, recovery and adaptability as the foundational percept for supply chain resilience, 22 healthcare professionals in 17 of the UK's National Health Scheme (NHS) Trusts were interviewed to explore their personal and organisational approaches adopted relative to the provision of eye protection, gloves, gowns, aprons, masks and respirators. The Dynamic Capabilities View is mapped to the resilience capabilities and used to analyse the data from a transformational supply chain research perspective.

The supply chains were largely unprepared, which was not particularly surprising even though the availability of gloves was significantly better compared to the other personal protective equipment (PPE). Techniques adopted to ensure robustness and recovery revealed the use of unsanctioned methods such as extended use of PPE beyond recommended use, redefinition of guidelines, protocols and procedures by infection control and the use of expired PPE – all of which compromised customer well-being.

As the paper views resilience through the lens of customers, it does not provide the perspectives of the supply chain practitioners as to the reasons for the findings and the challenges within these supply chains.

The compromise of the well-being of healthcare workers due to the vulnerabilities of healthcare supply chains is highlighted to managers and prescriptions for post-disruption adaptability are made.

This paper introduces transformative research to supply chain resilience research by uniquely looking at resilience from the customers' well-being perspective.

Discusses the 6th ITCRR, its breadth of textile and clothing research activity, plus the encouragement given to workers in this field and its related areas. States that, within the newer research areas under the microscope of the community involved, technical textiles focuses on new, ‘smart’ garments and the initiatives in this field in both the UK and the international community at large. Covers this subject at length.

Looks at the eighth published year of the ITCRR and the research, from far and near, involved in this. Muses on the fact that, though all the usual processes are to the fore, the downside part of the industry is garment making which is the least developed side. Posits that the manufacture of clothing needs to become more technologically advanced as does retailing. Closes by emphasising support for the community in all its efforts.