Germ impermeable surgical drapes reduce the risk of infec- tions during the operation.
If the skin areas adjacent to the operating area are only insufficiently draped, this can be a source of intraoperative wound infections.
Therefore it is important to not only disinfect the skin generously but also demarcate and protect the operating area. The aim of using drapes on the patient is to prevent microorganisms and germ-laden particles of skin from entering the surgical wound. Infective pathogens can come from skin areas which are not disinfected or reach the surface from deeper layers of skin after disinfection.
The risk increases that germs will migrate uncontrollably through the drape particularly when only insufficiently draping materials (e.g. textile drapes made of cotton) are permeated with moisture. If on the other hand fluid and germ impermeable drapes are used, possible contamination sources can be eliminated, thus reducing the risk of wound infections simultaneously.
