Sterilization
Control
• A chemical monitor is an object that is
treated with material that changes its characteristics when sterilized. This
may be in the form of special ink that is impregnated into paper strips or tape
and placed on the outside of the package, or it may be a substance that is
incorporated into a pellet contained in a glass vial
• The chemical responds to conditions such as
extreme heat, pressure, or humidity but does not take into consideration the
duration of exposure, which is critical to the sterilization process
• Another monitoring method used to evaluate
the steam sterilizer is the combined temperature time graphs that are installed
within the control panel of the sterilizer. These graphs provide a permanent
written record of all loads that have been processed
• The surest way to determine the sterility
of given items is with the use of biologic controls. A strain of a highly
resistant, nonpathogenic, spore-forming bacteria contained in a glass vial or a
strip of paper is placed in the load of goods to be sterilized. For steam
sterilization, the dry spores of the bacteria Bacillus stearothermophilus are
used. The gas sterilization process uses the bacterium Bacillus subtilis.
The vial or strip is recovered at the end of the sterilization process and cultured.
This process is time consuming and the results method of testing the efficacy
of a sterilization process. Biologic controls should be administered at least
once weekly. If feasible, they should also be used whenever an artificial
implant or prosthesis is sterilized and the item withheld from use until the
results are known to be negative.
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