Abstract: A surgical gown comprises a body covering portion and sleeves, the body covering portion having a front portion and side portions. The front portion has a central operative region having a water impermeable material layer covering the central operative region. Each of the sleeves has a zone comprising a layer of a base sleeve material and a layer of a water-repellant, air-porous nonwoven fabric web. The web provides enhanced water repellency to the sleeve zones compared to that provided by the base sleeve material alone.

Abstract: Disposable absorbent structures comprising alternate layers of absorbent nonwoven material and nonwoven hydrophobic thermoplastic material, minimally bonded together. The outer layers of the structures are of absorbent nonwoven material and the structures comprise at least two such absorbent layers and at least one nonwoven hydrophobic thermoplastic layer. The hydrophobic thermoplastic material may comprise one or more webs of any appropriate polymer and of any structural form having an open area sufficient to permit the free passage of liquids therethrough. The absorbent layers may comprise spunbonded rayon webs or webs of air laid, wet laid or carded rayon fibers of staple length or longer, with or without mechanical or hydraulic needling. The outer absorbent layers may also comprise stabilized rayon webs and the inner absorbent plies, when the ultimate desired characteristics of the absorbent structure will permit, may be of other cellulosic materials such as layers of tissue, fluff, wadding and the like.

Abstract: A stabilized absorbent rayon web which may be used alone or which may serve as outer plies for absorbent structures. The rayon web may be a spunbonded web or an air laid, wet laid or carded web of staple length or longer fibers, with substantial fiber orientation in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the web by virtue of the way in which the web is formed or by virtue of mechanical or hydraulic needling. The thermoplastic web is melted into the rayon web from the bottom surface thereof to a controlled penetration depth of from about 10% to about 40% and preferably from about 10% to about 25%. As a result, the cross over points of the rayon fibers are effectively stabilized from the bottom of the rayon web to the controlled penetration depth therein while the aesthetics of the upper surface of the rayon web are undisturbed. The thermoplastic web may be of any appropriate polymer and any structural form having an open area of at least about 40%.