The case for low temperature sterilisation

How do healthcare facilities meet the conflicting demands of tougher infection control guidelines and regulations and increasingly delicate hi-tech medical devices? Faster, more effective, low temperature sterilisation is a big part of the answer, says Dean Burand, Divisional Regulatory Affairs manager at specialist in instrument decontamination and sterilisation, IHSS.

Medical technology is undergoing a period of dramatic change. The design, construction and functionality of modern medical devices has been revolutionised by microprocessor technology, new materials, and increasing miniaturisation. The latest generations of devices – from highly sophisticated endoscopes and transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) probes, to robotic surgical devices like the da Vinci robotic surgical system – are transforming diagnostic and treatment options, and improving outcomes for patients. 

However, alongside these new opportunities come new challenges. Nosocomial infections are a significant source of risk for patients, and a growing concern for clinical staff and regulators, and while our understanding of the nature and transmission mechanisms of pathogens has improved considerably, the changing characteristics of many advanced medical devices are making effective sterilisation and decontamination more difficult. The disinfection principles and procedures used today can trace their origins back to the work of American physician, Earle Spaulding, in the 1930s. He established three levels of disinfection requirement, depending on whether an instrument comes into contact with ntact skin, mucous membranes, or sterile body cavities.