Are you sure that your sterilizer conform to the standards?

        Along with the time progresses, continuous development, the develop of globalization also become the trend. Then, the globalization will increase the interpersonal have more contact, it induce the new disease and mutant bacteria will be more and more indirectly. In order to avoid and decrease the chance to contact or spread the contagious disease, the medical standard are also become more strict and careful. According to the acceptance criterion, the instruments and materials must have proper sterilization, so the sterilizer monitoring become an essential part of the medical approval standard.

        The sterilizer monitoring means that periodically checked the instruments are really clean and sterility after the sterilization or disinfection. But it is impossible to check each processed item for sterility. Instead, a set of monitoring processes increase the probability that sterilization did occur. There are three types of the sterilizer monitoring. But using a combination of physical, chemical, and biological indicators is the best way to monitored.

sterile equipment

1) Physical Indicator:

The handlers should record the cycle time, the temperature, and the pressure which is displayed on the sterilizer gauges for each sterile equipment. To make sure the all standards are accomplished.

2) Chemical Indicator:

Use the chemical indicators, such as visual indicator tapes. This indicators will change color after exposure to the proper sterilization environment. But this is not the reliable indicator, because when the temperature increased, the indicator color will be changed. But it does not display how long had been maintained at the highest temperature. So this indicator can’t ensure the temperature and the time whether accomplish the approval standard during the sterilize process, and it also can’t make sure the steam have infiltrated into the sterilization pouches.

Chemical Indicator

 Biological Indicator

3) Biological Indicator:

The biological indicator is use for the high-pressure steam sterilizers and dry-heat sterilizer. This process uses the pouch which include highly resistant, nonpathogenic bacterial endospores as microbial challenges, and put this pouch on the center space of the sterilizer. After the sterilization, we culture this endospore pouch in the suitable environment. If the positive spore test result indicates that the pouch still grew the bacteria, it means this examine process failed, either the sterilize time or the temperature is not enough.

        According to the control disease center, they recommended the medical equipments should be examined by the biological indicator every week. In addition, if the biological indicator test is positive, or the physical or chemical test results indicate failure, the sterilizer should not be used until the reason for failure has been identified and corrected.


References: 
Picture 2: Chemical Indicator http://www.danaproducts.com/index.html
Picture 3:  Biological Indicator  http://www.bge.com.tw/BIOINDI/BIOINDI/engEZS6.htm