The ergonomics of ventilated operating theatre clothing

Abstract

The results of a recent Department of Health and Social Security/Medical Research Council (DHSS/MRC) trial into the use of ultra-clean ventilation systems shows that these can bring about a reduction in the rate of wound sepsis in orthopaedic operations, particularly when body exhaust ventilated clothing is worn by members of the surgical team.

Although considerable information exists about the reduction of bacteria shedding from individuals wearing body exhaust gowns, little information is available about wearer comfort and related problems. This study was carried out to examine the ergonomic consequences for operating theatre staff of wearing ventilated clothing and to compare these with the results for other forms of specialized surgical garments.

The investigation consisted of observations of theatre staff at work, interviews and an experimental simulation of the orthopaedic surgeon's task.

The results showed that there were measurable differences in skin temperature and sweat rate between ventilated and non-ventilated gowns. Subjectively there was a significant preference for certain garments based on general comfort and thermal perceptions. It was concluded that the ’Mandarin’ body exhaust ventilated gown gave high levels of both objectively and subjectively assessed thermal comfort for the wearer. Where there were operational difficulties or objections to using a ventilated gown, it was concluded that a gown made from ’Gore-tex’ was a possible alternative. It is important that the ergonomic and comfort aspects of these gowns should be related to the attenuation in bacterial shedding that they produce.

Keywords:

• Ventilated clothing
• Body exhaust
• Surgical garments