Potential problems of inadequate air removal and presence of non-condensable gasses in a steam sterilization process: A brief discussion

• Published in: Infection control and hospital epidemiology 2020-06, Vol.41 (6), p.739-740
• Main Authors: Das, Tapan Kumar, Laha, Samir Kumar, Basu, Debabrata
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Medical equipment; Nursing; Sterilization; Water flow; Water quality
• ISSN: 0899-823X; 1559-6834
• DOI: 10.1017/ice.2020.88

[...]when air removal is insufficient, the sterilization process is suboptimal, even if all other process parameters, such as steam pressure and temperature, are achieved. [...]the quality of the vacuum pump in relation to the chamber volume is very important for proper air removal and steam penetration purposes. NCGs prevent steam from reaching the medical device, inhibiting thermal coagulation of spores during sterilization. [...]air pockets form (bubbles of NCGs) that isolate the goods to be sterilized and block further condensation of the steam before sterilization. [...]a single Bowie-Dick test cannot give guarantee all over the day if the sterilizer is completely stopped for more than 3-4 hours at a time because NCGs (due to poor water quality) may accumulate inside the steam pipeline if water flow is stopped or stagnant. [...]even when the Bowie–Dick test has been successful, the process parameters can change with each subsequent cycle.