With disposable PPE currently scarce, reusable XALT™ and Maxima® fabrics from Burlington are playing a critical role.
By Rachael S. Davis, Executive Editor
It is said good technology will stand the test of time. For 20-year-old XALT™ and 40-year-old Maxima® — reusable medical barrier fabrics from Greensboro, N.C.-based Burlington Performance Fabrics — this adage certainly holds true as the technology is perhaps more relevant today than it has ever been. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, providers across the world are looking for short-term solutions to shortages of vital, life-saving personal protective equipment (PPE) for front line healthcare workers. In response, Burlington is working tirelessly to ramp up production of Maxima and XALT as the advantages of reusable fabrics are becoming more apparent in the face of global disposable PPE shortages.
XALT HC is a three-layer laminate composite comprising a filament polyester woven or knit face fabric bonded to a protective film barrier with a lightweight tricot knit backing. The fabric also features a proprietary durable invisible barrier fluid repellent technology.
Burlington offers an extensive line of Maxima fabrics to meet the needs of many different medical end uses. Maxima fabrics may be densely woven, incorporate antistatic yarns for static control, exhibit hydrostatic performance, and feature fluid repellent finishes or non-linting polyester fibers and air-textured yarns for improved hand and comfort with cotton-like aesthetics, to name just a few variations. Wider-width fabrics also are available.
“The Maxima line of fluid resistant surgical fabrics are engineered for safety,” said Nelson Bebo, vice president, Burlington Performance Fabrics. “These reusable fabrics are ideal for all applications of the medical market — isolation gowns, surgical gowns, lab coats, surgical
sterilization wraps, surgical drapes, aprons and table covers — anywhere you need high-performing, lint-free fabrics.”
Burlington’s complete collection of medical barrier fabrics provides protection across American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) PB70 Levels 1 through 4. “Our Maxima brand includes fabrics suitable for Levels 1-2, while XALT fabrics provide higher levels of protection and are certified to meet both ANSI/AAMI PB70 Level 3-4 and EN13795 high performance, critical area standards,” Bebo said. In addition, an XALT HC Level 4 surgical gown is impervious and meets the ASTM F1671 test method requirements — a measurement of a fabric’s resistance to viral and bloodborne pathogens.
Bebo highlighted several key advantages offered by Burlington’s XALT and Maxima including supply, cost and sustainability. “Increasing production of disposable items takes time, but very quickly a hospital or third-party linen service can increase the speed and frequency of laundry services, as well as sanitizing soiled items for reuse,” Bebo said. “In addition, the cost of using reusable PPE is significantly less than using disposable products, and using reusable fabrics significantly decreases the amount of hard waste disposed in landfills.
“Burlington remains committed to being a world leader in high performance reusable medical fabrics providing the most effective barrier products in the healthcare industry,” Bebo said. “It is, and has always been, our product promise.”
For more information about Burlington’s collection of medical barrier fabrics, please visit burlingtonfabrics.com.
May/June 2020
