Standards for Surgical Towels

Surgical towels are special types of linens used particularly in surgical operations and in-hospital care. Unlike other linens, these towels are used to absorb more delicate fluids such as blood and human secretion, which have to be properly cleaned to avoid contamination with bacteria, which in turn may cause further health problems not only to the patient but also to the other people that may get in contact with it.

Composition

• Huck towels, as they are sometimes known, are traditionally made of 100 percent cotton material to ensure maximum absorption of fluid. Although highly effective in terms of absorption, surgical towels sometimes become prone to large quantities of cotton fiber discharge during use, thus prompting some manufacturers to use instead a small percentage of polyester or other non-cotton material along with cotton.

Applications

• Surgical towels are normally found in hospitals, clinics and wellness centers and are used by doctors, nurses and hospital stuff in cleaning spills and retained liquids in surgical equipment and surfaces. These towels also are used in cushioning and wiping other equipment. Aside from hospitals, surgical towels are also the top choice for professional janitorial services because of their effective absorbency. They are also used in cleaning chrome gym equipment and wiping leftover spills off tables in restaurants.

Features

• One defining feature of surgical towels is that they are spun and hemmed specifically for surgical cleaning. This means they are more capable of absorbing liquids and leaving surfaces clean and dry, unlike other fabric materials that leave moisture behind. It is an imperative for surgical towels to be highly absorbent, as leaving behind residue may cause various potential health problems on other patients and even healthy individuals exposed to it.

Risks

• Because of the cotton fiber’s ability to discharge lint and grain particles in surgical drapes and towels, some infections may arise while the towel is being used, particularly when covering wounds. Among the potential issues that may develop due to lint contamination include granuloma, thrombosis, adhesions, embolism and inflammation. When not treated immediately, these problems can serve as portals to more serious illnesses, such as bacterial and viral infections.

Developments

• In order to reduce the risks of potential contamination and infection, manufacturers of surgical towels now search for alternative materials to be used for surgical fabric, such as non-woven fabrics or fibrous substrates which are thermally or ultrasonically bonded, such as rayon, Tencel, wood pulp and lyocell. These fabrics are then used together with cotton to come up with equally absorbent material, but with reduced ability of lint discharge.