XY SCRUBS TREATED WITH XY DEFEND™

Antimicrobial Scrubs May Reduce the Bacterial Burden on your Scrubs

The use of antimicrobial-impregnated scrubs combined with good hand hygiene is effective in reducing the burden of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on healthcare workers’ apparel and may potentially play a role in decreasing the risk of MRSA transmission to patients, according to a new study from Virginia Commonwealth University researchers. [Full Article]

Our fabric has been treated with a patented, odor eliminating and antimicrobial process, XY Defend™. Unlike disinfectants, sanitizers and bleaches, XY Defend™ forms a molecular bond to the surface of our scrubs, which disrupts the cell membranes of harmful fungi and bacteria, inhibiting, reducing and providing long-term, residual kill. Our anti-odor and antimicrobial treatment does not contain heavy metals, is non-leaching, and will remain active for the life of the scrubs.

• Unique bound technology
• Does not contribute to microbe “Resistance”
• Green – does not leach or deplete
• Safe – uses no poisons or heavy metals
• Proven effective throughout garment life time (20 washings)
• Efficacy proven through independent testing
• A patented and EPA registered product
• Kills Gram (+) and Gram (- ) bacteria, fungi, yeast, and viruses.

How XY Defend™ Works

One end of the XY Defend™ molecule creates a strong bond with a multitude of surfaces, both porous and nonporous, forming a highly durable protective coating. The other end of the molecule forms a microscopic bed of spikes that puncture microbes like a bed of nails or a Spartan phalanx formation. The XY Defend™ Microbiostatic Antimicrobial Coating physically ruptures the cell walls of these microbes, without the use of poisons. Since the XY Defend™ Microbiostatic Antimicrobial Coating methodology is mechanical instead of a poison, it does not create “superbugs”, which are microbes that build up a resistance to treatment. Learn more about the science of XY Scrubs.

AND OUR SCRUBS ARE MADE USING RECYCLED PLASTIC BOTTLES, TOO.   COOL, huh?

The use of antimicrobial-impregnated scrubs combined with good hand hygiene is effective in reducing the burden of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on healthcare workers’ apparel and may potentially play a role in decreasing the risk of MRSA transmission to patients, according to a new study from Virginia Commonwealth University researchers.

Previous findings have shown that hospital textiles may contribute to the transmission of pathogens through indirect contact via the hands of hospital staff and that antimicrobial textiles may reduce the bioburden, or the number of bacteria living on a surface before sterilization in clinical settings.

Led by Gonzalo Bearman, MD, MPH, associate professor of internal medicine in the VCU School of Medicine and associate hospital epidemiologist at the VCU Medical Center, the study “A Crossover Trial of Antimicrobial Scrubs to Reduce Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Burden on Healthcare Worker Apparel,” is currently available online and will appear in the March issue of the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

“We strive to study infection prevention interventions that are simple yet effective for the reduction of health care associated infections,” says Bearman. “The goal is to affect change or implement risk reduction by methods that are both easily implemented and sustained.”

In the study, 32 healthcare workers wore four pairs of identically appearing control scrubs and study scrubs impregnated with an antimicrobial, or germ-killing, compound over the course of four months, washing them regularly. Participants also received identical hand hygiene educational sessions every four weeks, and researchers assessed compliance with hand hygiene practices.

Researchers conducted once weekly, unannounced, garment and hand cultures of participants at the start and end of each shift where they obtained two samples from the garment’s abdominal area and cargo pant pocket – two areas of high-touch and high bacterial colonization.

According to Bearman, although the scrubs did not impact the degree of MRSA on the healthcare workers’ hands, the antimicrobial scrubs were effective in reducing the burden of MRSA on healthcare worker apparel.

“It is critical for healthcare workers and patients to understand that the environment—including inanimate surfaces and apparel – is not sterile, and is frequently a reservoir of drug resistant bacteria,” says Bearman. “Meticulous hand hygiene at the point of patient care is critical for reducing the risk of a hospital-acquired infection.

“If widespread antimicrobial scrub use were added to existing infection prevention strategies, a further decrease in hospital acquired infections may occur by limiting the cross transmission of pathogens via apparel. The actual impact of antimicrobial scrubs on hospital acquired infections needs further study,” he adds.

When I was a junior Surgery resident in Brooklyn, NY, my landlord turned out to be a fashion designer…   From that chance connection, XY SCRUBS was born.

We had a great idea,  had prototypes made and re-made  in Manhattan’s Garment District, and had hope and dreams by the bushell.   It took well over a year working with the banks before our SBA Loan was approved, and we could really get started.   During this time, I really began investing myself into the idea of making and selling scrubs, I learned about Unifi’s Repreve Polyester, made from recycled plastic bottles.   I decided, if I was going to make scrubs, they would be the best scrubs I could possibly create.  I traveled to Greensboro, NC, met with Keith there and some of the good folks at Unifi, and decided to go with their Repreve polyester in our scrubs.  

Being involved in patient care everyday, I was well aware of the Hospital-Associated Infection epidemic sweeping our nation’s hospitals.  I thought I might be presented with a very unique set of circumstances:  being at the right place at the right time.   If I was going to make scrubs, why not be a part of the growing battle against HAIs.  Perhaps Antimicrobial scrubs will play a role in impeding their spread.  I spent a great deal of time researching Antimicrobial treatments appropriate for our scrubs.   There have been several exciting studies completed over the last several years demonstrating the potential for Antimicrobial use on scrubs and other Hospital textiles.   Exhausting the details, I soon learned I didn’t want to use nano-silver; but I came into contact with a chemical company out of Jupiter, FL.   Their product, invented and produced in the USA, was originally created by Dow chemical company in the 1980s as a way to prevent mold from ruining moist drywall and paints.  Its use as an Antimicrobial treatment had been well established for 30 years, however, its application in the hospital was just beginning to be explored.  I traveled to meet with Joe and spoke a great deal with Randy.

Their treatment was permanent, was not a poison and would not leach into ground water, and had fantastic lab verification after even 50 washings, so I made my decision and formed an agreement and had the Trademark XY DEFEND

From start to finish, I’ve personally reviewed and been involved in each and every detail of XY SCRUBS.  It’s truly been a labor of love now for five years. It’s been a great struggle, but one I’ve found I truly enjoy and am proud to say I offer the very best pair of scrubs I’ve been able to produce through five years of my sincere best efforts. 

If you’re interested, our new 2012 product catalog can be found here.

Thanks again for your support,

Todd Ruiter
XY SCRUBS
Recycled Poly || Antimicrobial ||
SCRUBS FOR MEN by Men who wear scrubs

Repreve is actually a versatile family of fibers made from 100% recycled materials. Some are made with nothing but post-consumer waste (plastic bottles) or post-industrial waste (nylon), others with a hybrid blend of post-consumer and post-industrial waste. Plus, some versions of Repreve can be engineered to perform just like non-recycled fibers —with moisture wicking and stretch, for example. Repreve is also sold to yarn and textile mills as staple fiber, which they make into recycled yarns and other earth-friendly textile

For 63% of the 60 physicians and 75 nurses at Hebrew University’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem in the study, at least one spot sampled on their outer clothing carried pathogenic bacteria, according to Yonit Wiener-Well, MD, and colleagues there.

These bacteria were isolated from half of the total of 235 samples taken from participants’ coats, uniforms, and scrub suits, the researchers reported in the September issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.
Action Points

Note that bacterial contamination of clothing is a potentially important issue in the in-hospital setting. This study assessed the rate of bacterial contamination of nurses and physicians uniforms.

Point out that the investigators found that a majority of staff uniforms were colonized with bacteria, including drug-resistant organisms. Note however that they did not determine whether these bacteria could be transferred to patients resulting in clinically relevant infection.

Most of the participants indicated that they changed their uniforms daily and that their clothing’s hygiene was fair or better.

Wiener-Well and colleagues cautioned that the frequency of bacterial transmission from healthcare workers’ clothing to patients is unknown.

Nevertheless, they wrote, “we believe that data suffice to formulate recommendations regarding … workers’ uniforms.”

Wiener-Well and colleagues called for daily uniform changes, adequate laundering, plastic aprons for situations in which workers may contact body fluids, and strict hand hygiene.

“Wearing short-sleeved coats or even having physicians discard their white coats could further reduce the cloth-borne transmission of pathogens,” they added.

The researchers were following up previous studies that had found bacterial contamination on a variety of clothing articles worn by physicians, nurses, and other healthcare workers.

Participants were essentially a convenience sample of staff working when the sampling was conducted. Wiener-Well and colleagues indicated that more than 95% of eligible staff agreed to participate.

Uniforms worn in the wards were sampled at the middle abdomen and either at the sleeve end or, for short-sleeved garments, the side pockets. Operating room scrub suits were only sampled at the abdominal site because they lacked sleeves and pockets.

The sampling was conducted on 26 white coats, 77 two-piece uniforms, and 32 scrub suits. In addition, four unworn uniforms straight from the hospital laundry were sampled as controls.

Pathogenic bacteria included S. aureus, enterobacteria, and Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter species. The researchers also tested specifically for antibiotic-resistant species including MRSA, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, extended spectrum beta-lactamase producing enterobacteria, meropenem-resistant Acinetobacter, and Pseudomomas resisting gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, and ceftazidime.

Just under 60% of participants said their garments were fresh that day, whereas 18% admitted that they hadn’t been changed in four or more days. Only physicians’ white coats were in the latter category, as scrub suits and nurses’ uniforms were required to be changed daily. Nearly one-quarter of participants rated their clothing as not clean.

Nevertheless, this apparently poor hygiene did not translate to greater pathogen burden. The number of cultures containing the disease-causing bacteria did not appear to vary substantially with cleanliness self-ratings or with the reported frequency of attire changes.

Likewise, similar rates of pathogen contamination were seen in scrub suits, white coats, and uniforms.

Acinetobacter species were the most common pathogens found, identified in 37% of samples. Others included S. aureus (13%) and enterobacteria (8%).

Antibiotic-resistant strains were found in 6% of the physician samples and 14% of those taken from nurses’ clothing.

No pathogens were found on the unworn control uniforms, although benign skin bacteria were isolated.

Wiener-Well and colleagues speculated that inadequate hand hygiene was at least partly responsible for the contamination they discovered.

Limitations to the study included lack of data on where laundering was done (about 40% of hospital staff cleaned their garments at home), the small control sample, and possibly incorrect data on frequency of garment changes.

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The Covidien Innovation Tour is a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience and training in a replicated lab environment to learn single incision and advanced laparoscopic techniques. SILS™ procedures are among the most significant advances in laparoscopic surgery in the last 20 years. With the increase in demand for more SILS™ procedure training, Covidien is going on the road to meet leading laparoscopic surgeons who want to provide innovative surgery to patients but don’t have the time to travel to take a course.

Visitors were able to experience Covidien’s single incision and laparoscopic instrumentation along with many other recently released surgical products.

• See our photo gallery on Facebook

Covidien Innovation Tour Trailer

The Covidien Innovation Tour is a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience and training in a replicated lab environment to learn single incision and advanced laparoscopic techniques. SILS™ procedures are among the most significant advances in laparoscopic surgery in the last 20 years. With the increase in demand for more SILS™ procedure training, Covidien is going on the road to meet leading laparoscopic surgeons who want to provide innovative surgery to patients but don’t have the time to travel to take a course.

Visitors were able to experience Covidien’s single incision and laparoscopic instrumentation along with many other recently released surgical products.

Covidien Innovation Tour Trailer

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, individuals who become infected with antimicrobial-resistant strains of bacteria are more likely to have longer hospital stays and may also be more likely to die from infection. Indeed, an estimated 99,000 people die each year in the United States as a result of healthcare-associated infections. Furthermore, certain infections, such as those caused by Acinetobacter and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), occur most frequently in, and are sometimes exclusive to, healthcare settings and are becoming more prevalent. A recent study conducted by researchers in Israel found that over 60 percent of medical uniforms carried potential pathogens, and up to 14 percent carried antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These menacing strains of bacteria are even showing up in unexpected settings, such as dental schools.

To combat healthcare-associated infections, some states are passing laws that require hospitals to report infections, and Medicare is now withholding two percent of payments from hospitals that don’t. Hospitals are feeling the pressure and are taking measures to cut their infection rates. For many of these hospitals, scrubs and other uniform items have become a major target of infection-reduction efforts, creating a new opportunity for uniform manufacturers.

One such manufacturer is New York-based XY Scrubs, founded by surgery resident Todd Ruiter last April. Ruiter had initially set out to create a fashion-forward line of scrubs for men but soon broadened his focus to include antimicrobial fabric technology. “As a surgery resident, I was dealing with this problem every day, as healthcare-associated infections really are becoming an epidemic in this country,” Ruiter explains. “It’s my belief, as a physician and surgery resident with ten years’ experience, that all textiles used in patient care in the hospitals will, in the near future, employ antimicrobials as a way to fight or limit the spread of HAIs.”

Ruiter researched antimicrobials and eventually chose a unique finish created by Dow Chemical Co., now trademarked as XY Defend. This finish, unlike other chemical treatments, is permanently bound to the fabric and will not wash away. Most unique is the way in which XY Defend interacts with bacteria. The finish, says Ruiter, “kills microbes by physically disrupting their architecture, literally shearing the microbe apart on contact, and therefore, it has not been shown to select for any resistance over 25 years of testing and application in consumer goods.”

Ruiter believes this level of constant protection from germs to be ideal. “If a majority of our scrubs will be harboring pathogenic bacteria by the end of a day’s work, the possibility for passing the germs along between patients throughout the day certainly exists. Antimicrobial treatments on hospital textiles, such as our XY Defend, may play a role in preventing this,” he says.

It’s a dangerous world, and those who find themselves on the frontlines of danger must take special precautions to protect themselves as they serve others. It’s up to uniform manufacturers and retailers to stay abreast of the risks that their end-users and customers face and the ways in which their products can protect them. While uniformed professionals dodge bullets, bacteria and blazes, it’s the uniform industry that can help strengthen their defenses.

Read the entire Article from Made to Measure Magazine Here

It might be a varsity football shirt from years past, a holy skeleton of what a shirt used to look like or a shirt you scored a ball game that you just can’t let go of.

It’s probably stained, ripped, stretched, worn thin and ragged, but it doesn’t matter. When you put that shirt on, it feels awesome and you are in the comfort zone. You probably wear it as often as you can at home behind closed doors, especially if it’s in such condition that it could be deemed a health hazard.

Why can’t every piece of clothing you wear be as comfortable as the clothes you relax in around the house?

Well, you probably can’t get away with wearing that shirt to your job at the hospital or medical office, but you can make the choice to wear men’s scrubs that keep you comfortable and looking good all day long.

Vented men’s scrubs with, soft, recycled poly fabric are the most comfortable scrubs you’ll ever put on. XY Scrubs were designed by men who wear scrubs and know what it takes to feel good in the workplace. With excelled comfort, advanced technology and a functional design, you may not ever wear another set of scrubs again.

And just because you’re comfortable doesn’t mean you don’t look good. XY Scrubs offers different designer lines of men’s scrubs that are designed to make you look your best. Zipper flies, adjustable drawstring, multiple pockets and belt loops are not only stylish, but they are functional.

When you go to work, you should wear what you feel good in. A set of XY scrubs feels just as good as your go-to pair of jeans or t-shirt, and they are work-approved! You’ll feel good not just because you are wearing the most comfortable scrubs out there, but you’ll know that you look your best as well.