Abstract
In this work, we developed a device capable to generate a non-thermal plasma discharge inside a sealed bag. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the oxygen, nitrogen and argon plasma sterilization on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis spores according to the NF EN 556 Norm. Moreover the bag integrity which is a critical key to maintain the sterile state of items after the end of the process was verified by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometry (XPS) analyses. After plasma treatments, the bacterial counting showed a 6 log reduction of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus in 45 min and 120 min respectively whatever the gas used and a 4 log reduction of B. subtilis spores in 120 min with only oxygen plasma. These results were confirmed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) observations showing altered bacteria or spores and numerous debris. Taking into account the studied microorganisms, the oxygen plasma treatment showed the highest efficiency. FTIR and XPS analyses showed that this treatment induced no significant modification of the bags. To conclude this non-thermal plasma sterilization technique could be an opportunity to sterilize heat and chemical-sensitive medical devices and to preserve their sterile state after the end of the process.
Highlights
The sterilization of medical devices has always been a very important issue in hospitals so as to prevent nosocomial infections
The bactericidal effect of plasma treatment was evaluated on P. aeruginosa (Fig 2) and S. aureus (Fig 3) with optimized prototype’s parameters, considering the potential impact of low pressure and temperature inside the bag on bacteria viability
The results showed a 1.8 log reduction of P. aeruginosa viability (Fig 2) and a 1.73 log reduction of S. aureus viability (Fig 3) compared to viability controls respectively
Summary
The sterilization of medical devices has always been a very important issue in hospitals so as to prevent nosocomial infections. Sterilization is defined as a complete inactivation of any forms of life and more precisely as the definitive inability of microorganisms to replicate. Sterilization is nowadays most commonly achieved by high pressure saturated steam Non-thermal plasma disinfection: Bactericidal-sporicidal effectiveness in regard to sterilization norms and funding by ANRT CIFRE 2013/0758 (http:// www.anrt.asso.fr/index.jsp?r=0) (TM). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Sominex provided support in the form of salary for author FP, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific role of this author is articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section
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