Tech Talk Blog

We all know the importance of sterilization in medical applications and packaging, particularly as surgical procedures become more specialized. Proper sterilization of devices such as catheters, cell culture trays, stents, and implants is critical to ensuring a positive patient outcome.

We thought we’d offer a quick review of sterilization methods:

1)      Steam — This process dates back to the days of Louis Pasteur, who used heat to kill microbes — or “pasteurization” that is still used today to protect perishable products such as milk.

Steam is still a popular sterilization method prized for its simplicity and relatively short processing time.  However, it can cause decay to the polymer, and can destroy surface treatments through water exposure.

2)      Ethylene oxide (EOX)  — is an option for devices that are sensitive to heat and moisture.  EOX changes the surface of the polymer, but it will revert back.  It uses relatively low temperatures for sterilization, but requires a long aeration process after each cycle.

3)   Gamma rays – This is the method we most recommend.  It can be used on many products all at once – it even penetrates boxes.   We also like that it can be used on any plasma-treated surface and preserves the treatment molecules. With gamma, we can increase the dosage accordingly to modify bulk properties.  It is a unique process for cleaning and sterilization.

Which method of sterilization does your team frequently use?