Cardinal Health now sells the nation's first surgical gown with chest pockets designed to hold a surgical instrument in operating rooms, which the medical supply company invented with physicians at Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic.
The product, marketed as the SmartGown EDGE Breathable Surgical Gown with ASSIST Instrument Pockets, allows clinicians to reduce instrument handoffs during an operation and keep commonly used surgical tools within reach, Cardinal Health said in a Nov. 9 news release. The gown can save clinicians time and minimize the risk of contamination.
Co-inventors from Mayo Clinic include Joseph Dearani, MD, director of pediatric and adult congenital heart surgery, and Salim Walji, MD, a retired cardiothoracic surgeon.
"Surgical teams are tasked to move quickly and expertly," Dr. Dearani said in the release. "Any deviations that prevent a smooth surgery, such as delays in instrument sterility or accessibility during the procedure, could create setbacks to the staff. We're pleased to have developed a solution that helps minimize these operating room challenges and allows surgeons to keep procedures moving efficiently."
The gown's pockets cannot hold sharp, hot, heavy or long instruments.