Sterile back surgical gown with anchored belt pouch

DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is the general object of this invention to provide an improved back belt arrangement in which the protective pouch for the belt end is releasably anchored to the adjacent gown materials so that the belt is securely anchored and the pouch also serves as a holding means to hold the closure panel open during the initial donning steps.
An assistant can release the holding means by grasping the pouch and pulling it a short distance away from the gown, whereupon the assistant withdraws the belt and passes it to the wearer as noted above.
In the preferred embodiment, the pouch is deadfolded to provide a tab that is easy to grasp without danger of destroying the sterility of the adjacent gown area, and the exposed side of the tab portion of the pouch is transparent so that the assistant can be sure of grasping the belt end through the pouch.
The preferred embodiment utilizes "VELCRO" hook and loop type fastening material on the pouch and adjacent gown area, but snaps, adhesives, or other releasable pressure sensitive holding elements could be used.
The arrangement of the invention is extremely effective and convenient, and eliminates excessive strain, and it is still simple and inexpensive to manufacture and package.
It is particularly useful in side belted gown constructions like those of the said Horan applications, but could obviously be used in other types of gowns.
Various other features, objects and advantages will be apparent from the description to follow.