Self-donning surgical gown

Abstract

A self-donning surgical gown that can be secured in place on a user by the user without the assistance of another person is disclosed. The self-donning gown includes a neck fastening assembly, a back closure assembly, and/or a front tie assembly to facilitate self-donning by the user.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A self-donning surgical gown comprising:
 a gown body having a neck opening and a back opening defined by a first back edge and a second back edge; and   a neck opening fastening assembly proximate the neck opening, the neck opening fastening assembly comprising a deformable element that holds the gown around a user's neck.   
     
     
         2 . The self-donning surgical gown of  claim 1 , wherein the deformable element is resiliently deformable. 
     
     
         3 . The self-donning surgical gown of  claim 1 , wherein the deformable element is non-resiliently deformable. 
     
     
         4 . The self-donning gown of  claim 1 , wherein the neck opening fastening assembly has a first position where it is open and a user's neck can be positioned in the gown and a second position where it closes about the user's neck. 
     
     
         5 . The self-donning surgical gown of  claim 1 , wherein the deformable element is at least partially encased by at least a portion of the gown body. 
     
     
         6 . The self-donning surgical gown of  claim 1 , wherein the deformable element comprises an opening and wherein the opening is enlarged to receive a user's neck and thereafter reduced to retain a portion of the surgical gown proximate the neck. 
     
     
         7 . The self-donning surgical gown of  claim 1 , wherein the deformable element has an upright collar portion that fits around at least part of a user's neck. 
     
     
         8 . The self-donning surgical gown of  claim 6 , wherein the deformable element has a flat position and a raised position, and is moved into the raised position when the gown is in use. 
     
     
         9 . The self-donning surgical gown of  claim 1 , further comprising a back-closure assembly. 
     
     
         10 . The self-donning surgical gown of  claim 1 , further comprising a front-tie assembly. 
     
     
         11 . A self-donning surgical gown comprising:
 a gown body having a neck opening and a back opening defined by a first back edge and a second back edge, the gown body having a first surface and a second surface; and   a back closure assembly comprising at least a first strap adjacent the first back edge and a second strap adjacent the second back edge.   
     
     
         12 . The self-donning gown of  claim 11  that further includes a handle coupled to the first surface and a retaining device, wherein at least a portion of the retaining device is coupled to the second surface. 
     
     
         13 . The self-donning surgical gown of  claim 11  wherein the first strap has a closure device and the second strap has a closure device, so when the closure devices of each strap meet they fasten the straps together. 
     
     
         14 . The self-donning surgical gown of  claim 11 , wherein the back closure assembly further comprises a plurality of sterile handles. 
     
     
         15 . The self-donning surgical gown of  claim 14 , wherein at least one sterile handle is attached to the first surface. 
     
     
         16 . The self-donning surgical gown of  claim 15 , wherein at least one handle comprises one or more of the group consisting of sterile foam, cardboard, plastic and paper. 
     
     
         17 . The self-donning surgical gown of  claim 12 , wherein the retaining device comprises one or more of the group consisting of: a hook and loop device, an adhesive and a magnet. 
     
     
         18 . The self-donning surgical gown of  claim 11 , further comprising a neck fastening assembly. 
     
     
         19 . The self-donning surgical gown of  claim 11 , further comprising a front-tie assembly. 
     
     
         20 . The self-donning surgical gown of  claim 11 , wherein the first strap and second strap are each attached to the first surface.