Surgical Attire

Publication Date: July 1, 2019

Guidelines

LAUNDERING

  • Wear clean surgical attire when entering the semi- restricted and restricted areas.
  • After each daily use, launder scrub attire at
    • a health care–accredited laundry facility,
    • the health care organization according to state regulatory requirements, or
    • the health care organization according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for laundering in the absence of state requirements.
  • Transport laundered surgical attire in enclosed carts or containers and in vehicles that are cleaned and disinfected regularly.
  • Store laundered surgical attire in enclosed carts, cabinets, or dispensing machines that are cleaned and disinfected regularly.
  • Remove scrub attire that has been penetrated by blood, other body fluids, or other potentially infectious materials immediately or as soon as possible, and replace it with clean attire.
  • Leave scrub attire that is contaminated with visible blood or other body fluids at the health care facility for laundering.
  • Bag or contain contaminated scrub attire at the location where it was used. Do not rinse or sort the attire.
  • Remove surgical attire before leaving the health care facility.
  • Establish and implement a process for managing personal clothing that may be worn under scrub attire, including:
    • the type of fabrics (eg, nonlinting)
    • the amount of fabric that may extend beyond the scrub attire (eg, a crew neck collar under V-neck scrub attire)
    • laundering frequency (eg, daily)
    • laundering method (eg, facility laundering, home laundering)
  • Leave personal clothing contaminated with blood, other body fluids, or other potentially infectious materials at the health care facility for laundering.

APPAREL CONSIDERATIONS

  • Select fabrics for scrub attire that are tightly woven and low linting.
  • Follow the health care organization’s process for the pre-purchase evaluation of products when considering the purchase of antimicrobial surgical attire.
  • Consider covering arms during performance of preoperative patient skin antisepsis.
  • If wearing cover apparel (eg, a lab coat), make sure that it is clean.
  • Visitors entering the semi-restricted or restricted areas (eg, law enforcement officers, parents, biomedical engineers) should don either clean surgical attire or a single-use jumpsuit (eg, coveralls, bunny suit) designed to completely cover personal apparel.

HEAD COVERINGS

  • Cover the scalp and hair when entering the semi- restricted and restricted areas.
  • Cover the beard when entering the restricted areas and while preparing and packaging items in the clean assembly section of the sterile processing area.
  • Remove head coverings at the end of the shift or when they are contaminated.
  • Leave reusable head coverings contaminated with blood, other body fluids, or other potentially infectious materials at the health care facility for laundering.
  • Establish and implement a process for managing reusable head coverings, including:
    • the type of fabrics (eg, nonlinting)
    • laundering frequency (eg, daily)
    • laundering method (eg, facility, home laundering)

SHOES

  • Wear clean shoes when entering the semi-restricted or restricted areas.
  • Wear protective footwear that meets the health care organization’s safety requirements in areas where there is a danger of foot injuries from falling or rolling objects or objects piercing the sole.
  • Wear fluid-resistant shoe covers or boots in instances when gross contamination can reasonably be anticipated.

OTHER ITEMS

  • Clean identification badges and lanyards with a low-level disinfectant when they become soiled with blood, other body fluids, or other potentially infectious materials.
  • Determine the frequency for routine badge disinfection (eg, daily, weekly).
  • Clean stethoscopes before each patient use according to the manufacturer’s instructions for use.
  • Establish a process to prevent contamination of the semi-restricted and restricted areas from personal items (eg, briefcases, backpacks).
  • Clean cell phones, tablets, and other personal communication or hand-held electronic equipment according to the device manufacturer’s instructions for use before these items are brought into the OR, and perform hand hygiene.

Recommendation Grading

Disclaimer

Overview

Title

Surgical Attire

Authoring Organization

Publication Month/Year

July 1, 2019

Document Type

Guideline

External Publication Status

Published

Country of Publication

US

Inclusion Criteria

Female, Male, Adolescent, Adult, Child, Infant, Older adult

Health Care Settings

Operating and recovery room

Intended Users

Surgical technologist, nurse, medical techologist technician, nurse practitioner, physician, physician assistant

Scope

Management

Diseases/Conditions (MeSH)

D058257 - Surgical Attire

Keywords

surgical attire