Is radiation used to sterilize medical equipment?
Radiation is a safe and cost-effective method for sterilizing single-use medical devices such as syringes and surgical gloves. One of its key advantages is that it allows already-packaged products to be sterilized. A variety of life-saving equipment is sterilized with radiation.
What medical equipment should be sterilized?
Medical devices that have contact with sterile body tissues or fluids are considered critical items. These items should be sterile when used because any microbial contamination could result in disease transmission. Such items include surgical instruments, biopsy forceps, and implanted medical devices.
Why can’t alpha radiation Sterilise medical equipment?
“Severe damage” to DNA is multiple breaks in the long DNA ladder-like structure. Radiation (for example, gamma rays, x rays, or beta and alpha radiation) has enough energy to ionize atoms and molecules; that is, it can create charged particles and free radicals.
What can be sterilized by radiation?
Currently, an estimated 40-50% of all disposable medical products are sterilized using radiation. [8] For example, sutures, surgical gloves, gowns, face masks, syringes, sticking plasters, dressings and other single use healthcare supplies are all processed using gamma radiation.
How does sterilize medical equipment work?
An overview of the history behind medical sterilization. Wrapped to keep them sealed, the instruments are then subjected to steam heat of 134°C. This sterilizes the instruments, meaning that they will be germ free until they are used.
How do hospitals sterilize their equipment?
Steam under pressure, dry heat, ethylene oxide (ETO) gas, hydrogen peroxide gas plasma, vaporized hydrogen peroxide, and liquid chemicals are the principal sterilizing agents used in health care facilities.
How long does ionizing radiation take to sterilize?
The duration of the sterilization cycle is about 4 h and 15 m, and it occurs at 30-35°C. Microbial efficacy has been demonstrated by achieving a SAL of 10-6 with a variety of microorganisms to include the most resistant microorganism, Geobacillus stearothermophilus.
Does ionizing radiation sterilize?
Sterilization through ionizing radiation, a nuclear technique at the service of health. Radiation has bactericidal properties: it kills germs that cause disease and neutralizes other harmful organisms. This makes it a very useful application to sterilize materials.
Is radiation a physical method of sterilization?
Mainly electromagnetic radiation is used for sterilization. The major target for these radiations is considered to be microbial DNA, where damage occurs as a result of ionization and free radical production (gamma-rays and electrons) or excitation (UV light).