The main difference between isolation gowns and surgical gowns relates to the critical zones of protection. With isolation gowns, the entire garment is regarded as a critical zone, apart from the binding, cuffs, and hems. The material used to create these critical zones must meet the highest standards for the level the gown is categorized as.
For standard surgical gowns, the critical zones of protection are primarily based on the front of the body. They stem from the top of the shoulders and go all the way to the knees and from the wrist cuffs to just above the elbows.
Non-surgical isolation gowns are categorized as Class I medical devices, a surgical gown is FDA recognized as Class II medical device. While there are surgical isolation gowns, not all isolation gowns are suitable for surgery or invasive procedures. Isolation gowns are available with different levels of barrier protection, from 1 to 4.
