Sterilization of Medical Devices Using Low Pressure N2/O2 Mixed Gas Plasma

Abstract

Working at gas pressures in the 400-700 Pa range ensures, through species diffusion the uniform filling of large volume chambers with the species out flowing from the discharge possibly allowing batch processing within them. As a rule bacterial endospores are used as a biological indicator (BI) to validate sterilization processes. Under the present operating conditions Geobacillus stearothermophilus ATCC 7953 is found to be the most resistant one and is therefore utilized as BI.