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Hi Cate,
The very old Australian Standard, AS3789-2:1991 contains the following requirements for linen wrappers:
100% cotton (C8) or 50/50 Polyester / Cotton (Pe/C3) – the C8 and Pe/C3 relate to fabric specifications in AS2892.
Sewing thread to be core spun or spun polyester with linear density of 45 tex.
Typically white and dark green fabric was used – making it a two layer [sewn together] product.
The cut ends must be finished with a welted hem, 1.5cm wide and using a lock stitch, achieving at least 4 stitches per centimetre.
The start and finish of hems must be backstitched
There was also a standard on reusable barrier fabric being used as a wrap – but unfortunately don’t have a copy of this Standard in my electronic library – probably a hard copy in my archives!
Long story short, if we are going to go back to using textiles as sterilisation wraps , but we need to make sure that the fabrics used meet the specifications in these old Standards and that the laundering, inspection and rejection processes also follow the requirements outlined in these Standards. Laundry facilities will need to have dedicated clean rooms for preparing OR drapes / drape bundles and/or sterilisation wraps with lint extraction facilities, light tables and thermal patching equipment.
There are also shelf life [sterility maintenance] considerations for textile wraps – most studies show that a shelf life of 14 days is not to be exceeded, although back in the old days you sometimes saw people push that out to 28 days.
Kind Regards
Terry McAuley
Director
MSc Medical Device Decontamination
PO BOX 2249, Greenvale, VIC Australia 3059
[cid:image002.png@01D736D5.47AB94C0]
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Could I just clarify, in the event that no suitable product that meets the standard can be sourced that we should not ever use cloth? I not the bold typing in relating to 100% polyester.
Therefore does the risk of using cotton outweigh the risk of cancelling surgery in extreme shortages?
Regards
Cate Coffey
RN BaAScN MPH&TM Grad Cert Infection Control Nursing
Clinical Nurse Manager
Central Australia Health Service
Department of Health
Northern Territory Government
Infection Prevention and Control Unit
Alice Springs Hospital
PO Box 2234, Alice Springs, NT 0871
cate.coffey@nt.gov.au
t. 08 8951 7737
http://www.health.nt.gov.au
Hi Sally,
This is a challenging issue in a number of ways. Historically, linen drapes were used in Operating Rooms to drape the patient and similar fabrics were also used as sterilisation wraps. In fact, we used to use two layers to wrap products and the layers consisted of two ‘drapes’ sewn together – so in effect, the sterile products wrapped in linen used to have 4 layers of textiles in total. In those days we had an Australian Standard for Operating Room textiles – the AS3789 series and a different Australian Standard for Packaging of items [sterile] for patient care – the AS1079 series.
Of course as the world has moved on, Standards have changed. Now we have Standards for Surgical Drapes and Gowns [EN13795] and Standards for Sterile Barrier Systems [ISO11607 parts 1 and 2] along with EN868 series that describe the performance requirements for various products used as sterile barriers.
The performance characteristics of a surgical drape or gown are very different to the performance characteristics of a sterilisation wrap, particularly in relation to fluid penetration, so the suitability of a surgical drape compliant with EN13795 to be used as a sterile barrier could be called into question.
In any case, AS4187:2003 contained a Table [Table 3.1] that outlined products that were suitable for use as a sterile barrier for various forms of sterilisation and this table had a series of notes – most important of them stated this [the pertinent statement highlighted in bold text:
Cotton and cotton polyester wraps have been shown to be much less effective than wraps of non-woven materials as a microbial barrier. 100% polyester materials require specialized laundering processes and cycles to retain barrier fabric capabilities. Tightly woven 100% polyester limits the penetration of the steam in the sterilization process.
Kind Regards
Terry McAuley
Director
MSc Medical Device Decontamination
PO BOX 2249, Greenvale VIC Australia 3059
[cid:image001.png@01D73149.7656E9A0]
I endeavour to achieve a sensible work-life balance: There is no need to reply to this email from you outside of your normal working hours. Please expect the same from me.
CONFIDENTIAL COMMUNICATION: The information contained in this message may contain confidential information intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or duplication of this transmission is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us by telephone or email immediately and return the original message to us or destroy all printed and electronic copies. Nothing in this transmission constitutes an agreement of any kind unless otherwise expressly indicated.
Hi all – al am posting this on behalf of a member – can you please reply to Sally directly if you can assist?
Thanks
Sara
Hi
Can someone advise me what is the latest standard for linen drapes ? AS 3789.2 1991 is very old and I have been referred to the European Standard EN 13795 for surgical drapes? Our linen supplier is stating we can use 100% polyester drapes as per the EN 13795?
Currently we cannot source much Kimguard & steri- peel and are using up the last of our stock. I have been informed that NSW Health Share have had a meeting stating we will need to revert to cloth surgical drapes as there is no suitable alternates . Is the 100% polyester drape okay to be used and sterilised appropriately ?
Kind rEgards
Sally
[cid:image003.png@01D736D6.AB413E80]Sally Holmes
Quality Manager and Infection Control & Prevention Coordinator
Lakeview Private Hospital|17-19 Solent Circuit Norwest NSW 2153
http://www.lakeviewprivate.com.au
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