Starting in December 2019, multiple cases of novel coronavirus pneumonia were successively identified in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. As the epidemic spread, similar cases were subsequently reported in other regions of China as well as overseas. The novel coronavirus is primarily transmitted through airborne droplets (such as those produced by coughing or sneezing) and through direct contact (such as shaking hands). It can also spread when someone touches objects contaminated with the virus and then touches their mouth, nose, or eyes with their hands. To more effectively prevent infection, we should minimize unnecessary outings, always wear a mask when going out, avoid crowded places, and frequently wash our hands and regularly disinfect surfaces. This epidemic has posed a severe challenge to both medical personnel and the general public—especially for healthcare workers, where protective measures are even more critical. Next, TanTu Technology will explain the differences between medical isolation gowns and medical protective suits, clarifying their respective functions and highlighting the key distinctions between them.

　　I. Differences in Functionality

　　Protective clothing is a type of medical protective equipment worn by clinical healthcare workers when they come into contact with patients infected with Class-A or infectious diseases managed as Class-A. It is primarily intended for healthcare personnel, but is also used in industries and sectors such as fire fighting, military industry, shipbuilding, petroleum, chemical engineering, painting, cleaning and disinfection, and laboratories. Isolation gowns are protective garments used by healthcare workers to prevent contamination from blood, body fluids, and other infectious materials, or to protect patients from infection. They primarily serve to prevent healthcare workers from becoming infected or contaminated while also protecting patients from infection—thus providing bidirectional isolation. These gowns are widely used in cleanrooms across various industries including electronics, pharmaceuticals, food processing, bioengineering, optics, aerospace, aviation, color tube manufacturing, semiconductors, precision machinery, plastics, painting, hospitals, and environmental protection.

　　II. Differences in User Indications

　　(1) Medical Isolation Gown:

　　1. When coming into contact with patients suffering from infectious diseases transmitted via contact, such as patients carrying pathogens or patients infected with multidrug-resistant bacteria;

　　2. When implementing protective isolation for patients—such as those with extensive burns or undergoing bone marrow transplantation—during diagnosis and treatment as well as nursing care;

　　3. When there is a risk of splashing from the patient’s blood, body fluids, secretions, or excretions;

　　4. Whether or not to wear isolation gowns when entering key departments such as the ICU, NICU, and protective wards depends on internal regulations that specify the purpose of healthcare workers’ entry and their level of contact with patients.

　　(2) Medical protective clothing:

　　When coming into contact with patients who have infectious diseases transmitted via airborne and droplet routes, there is a risk of being splashed with the patient’s blood, body fluids, secretions, or excretions.

　　III. Advantages of Medical Protective Suits

　　1. Medical protective clothing is an important component of medical protective equipment. Its primary requirement is to block harmful substances such as viruses and bacteria, thereby protecting healthcare workers from infection during diagnosis, treatment, and nursing care.

　　2. Medical protective clothing must meet the requirements for normal functional use and offer good wearing comfort and safety (e.g., featuring excellent moisture permeability, flame-retardant performance, and resistance to alcohol corrosion).

　　Legally compliant medical protective suits and isolation gowns must all be sterilized using ethylene oxide, with their residual levels carefully controlled to ensure they are non-toxic and have no adverse effects on the human body, and must also meet the national requirements for medical device manufacturing licenses.