According to the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), it establishes a classification system and minimum requirements for protective clothing and surgical drapes used in health centers using standardized methods and tests.

This classification system will allow health personnel to make an informed decision regarding the selection of appropriate products. 

Surgical gowns, drapes, accessories, and other protective clothing are items intended to promote infection control practices and help protect patients and healthcare personnel. The level of barrier needed depends on the potential risk of exposure to blood and body fluids.

The barrier classification of this standard is based on the hierarchy of risk, potential risk of exposure, volume of liquid involved, type and duration of the procedure or activity to be
performed. So, the levels of protection will depend on the critical areas of the gowns, which are those where contact with blood and fluids is most likely to occur.

 

 

Taking into account the critical zones, the following levels of protection are discussed:

• Level 1 (minimal risk): the material's resistance to water penetration in contact with a single spray. It is used for routine checkups at the doctor, or regular cleaning activities.

 

• Level 2 (Low Risk): Describes surgical gowns, protective clothing, surgical drapes, and accessories that resist fluid penetration under increasing pressure. It is used during blood drawing, suturing, medical consultation, in the intensive care unit and in a pathology laboratory.

 

• Level 3 (moderate risk): Describes surgical gowns, protective clothing, surgical drapes, and accessories that resist liquid penetration in zone A, B, and C; It is used in the emergency room or in cases of trauma.

 

• Level 4 (high risk): when the garment is made with heat-sealed seams and offers a protective barrier against liquids in zone A, B and C; used when pathogen resistance is needed or infectious diseases are suspected