98results about "Investigating sterilization degree" patented technology

Embodiments of the invention relate to a medical device with a visual indicator that changes color when exposed to a particular environment and / or chemical. The visual indicator may be printed or otherwise affixed on a portion of a medical device, for example the handle, and initially have the same color as that portion. When exposed to a particular environment and / or chemical, the visual indicator changes color so that it has a different color than that portion of the medical device.

Sterilization indicator test packs for testing the effectiveness of a sterilization procedure are provided. Both non-challenge and challenge-type test packs are disclosed. The non-challenge test packs include generally comprise a tray for holding a sterilization indicator the tray containing an elevated rim surface defining the perimeter of the tray and a recessed trough for receiving a sterilization indicator. The rim surface includes a plurality of spaced-apart grooves along its length extending through the rim to the recessed trough; a sterilization indicator within the recessed trough of the tray; and a lid that forms a plurality of channels with the grooves in the tray such that sterilant can enter the tray through the channels and contact the sterilization indicator.The challenge-type test packs generally include a tray for holding a sterilization indicator, the tray comprising a substantially planar surface, a recessed trough for receiving a sterilization indicator, and a recessed groove of a defined length and cross-sectional area extending through the recessed trough and penetrating the edge of the tray; a sterilization indicator within the recessed trough of the tray; and a lid forming a substantially sterilant-impermeable seal with the planar surface of the tray and forming a lumen path with the recessed groove in the tray.

A system for determining the efficacy of a sterilization process and communicating that determination to a remote device. The system includes a sterilization sensor and a reader adapted to receive that sterilization sensor. The sterilization sensor has an indicator that undergoes a predetermined optical change when exposed to a sterilization process. The reader has an illumination source for illuminating the sterilization sensor, a color sensor for evaluating the condition of the illuminated sterilization sensor, and an interpretation circuit for interpreting the output of the color sensor to determine whether the optical change has taken place. The reader also has a communication circuit for communicating data from the interpretation circuit to the remote device. In the preferred embodiments, the sterilization sensor is disposable and the reader is reusable.

Control systems for disinfecting light systems and methods of regulating operations of disinfecting light systems are disclosed. The control system may include a controller operably coupled to a disinfecting light fixture illuminating a space. The controller may regulate an operation of the disinfecting light fixture by adjusting an amount of disinfecting energy provided to the space by the disinfecting light fixture and / or adjusting an amount of illuminating light provided to the space by the disinfecting light fixture. The amount of disinfecting energy may be adjusted based on data relating to the space including disinfecting energy provided to the space, a bacterial load of the space, and / or environmental characteristic(s) of the space. Additionally, the amount of illuminating light may be adjusted based on data relating to the space including environmental characteristic(s) of the space, and / or a predetermined operational schedule for the space.

A sterilization indicator for testing the effectiveness of a sterilization procedure comprises a source of an enzyme, a sterilant-resistant chemical associated with the enzyme, and a substrate that reacts with the enzyme to form a detectable enzyme-modified product that provides an indication of the failure of the sterilization procedure. The sterilant-resistant chemical may be a polyglycerol alkyl ester, polyglycerol alkyl ether, an ethoxylated polyhydric alcohol ester, or a polyhydric alcohol ether. The indicator may be used to test the effectiveness of a hydrogen peroxide plasma sterilization procedure and may be provided with a non-challenge test pack or a lumen-challenge test pack.

An oxidative dye solution comprises an indicating dye that has been reacted with a reducing agent. The pre-reacted dye when subjected to an oxidizing disinfection or sterilization agent such as peracetic acid or hydrogen peroxide under goes a visible color change and thus can serve as a chemical, process, or chemical integrator, indicator. The dyes include various azines, thiazines, and oxazines compounds and the reducing agents include alkali metal alkyloxides and alkaline earth metal alkyloxide compounds.

The disclosure provides compositions and methods for making a colorized solution of an aqueous disinfectant that is both stable in bulk solution and will fade to clear within a predetermined period of time after being applied to a surface, for example as a spray or film. The compositions and methods described here allow an end user to visualize both the extent of coverage and the duration of contact of the disinfectant with the surface, thereby providing more efficient disinfection of the surface.

The disclosure provides compositions and methods for making a colorized solution of an aqueous disinfectant that is both stable in bulk solution and will fade to clear within a predetermined period of time after being applied to a surface, for example as a spray or film. The compositions and methods described here allow an end user to visualize both the extent of coverage and the duration of contact of the disinfectant with the surface, thereby providing more efficient disinfection of the surface.

The present invention relates to a chemical indicator that is used to determine whether instruments and other products to be sterilized have experienced a sterilization treatment process or to confirm whether sterilization has been efficiently performed, by the color tone change of the indicator when sterilizing medical instruments and other products and the like by a hydrogen peroxide low temperature plasma sterilizing method. The present invention provides an indicator for plasma sterilization, wherein an ink comprising a colorless chromogenic pigment, a coloring assistant, a binder (a binding agent) and a solvent for dissolving these, is applied to or printed on a base material, and wherein a color tone change of the indicator occurs by a hydrogen peroxide low temperature sterilization method.

The invention relates to a chemical indication composition, a steam sterilization indication tape using the chemical indication composition and a manufacturing method thereof. The chemical indication composition provided by the invention comprises: an indicator, an organosilicon modified polymer and a solvent, wherein the indicator comprises a bismuth compound, a sulfur source and a compound that can generate alkaline conditions when it is exposed to high temperature water vapor. The chemical indication composition can be directly applied to a non-adhesive surface of an adhesive tape, thus realizing preparation of the steam sterilization indication tape by one step.

An indicator for sterilization comprising an indication chemical which is useful in plasma sterilization with the use of hydrogen peroxide; and a packaging material for sterilization which has an indication unit comprising the above indicator for sterilization and in which a substance to be subjected to a plasma sterilization treatment is packaged. The above-described indicator for sterilization contains (A) one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of adsorption indication chemicals and chelate titration / metal indication chemicals and (B) an organic metal compound and shows an irreversible color change at a high speed. Thus, it enables definite judgment whether or not a subject has been plasma sterilized and, therefore, is useful as an indicator for plasma sterilization. By further adding (C) a polyhydric alcohol to the indicator, the color change speed can be elevated and well controlled, thereby giving favorable indication performance. The above-described packaging material for sterilization is a packaging material which has a part made of a gas-permeable paper or nonwoven fabric and in which a substance to be subjected to a plasma sterilization treatment is packaged. Since the above-described indicator for sterilization is employed in the indication unit of this packaging material, it can be definitely judged whether or not a subject has been plasma sterilized without affecting the sterilization performance.

The effectiveness of an oxidative sterilization process is determined by exposing a substrate having a known amount of a primary amine or aldehyde indicator chemical to an oxidative germicide. The oxidative germicide reacts with the indicator chemical. The amount of indicator chemical remaining after exposure to the germicide is determined by reacting the indicator chemical with a dye precursor chemical to form a colored product. The amount of indicator chemical remaining on the substrate is determined from the intensity of the color of the colored product. The amount of indicator chemical remaining on the substrate is a measure of the effectiveness of the germicidal treatment. The dye precursor is an aldehyde when the indicator chemical is a primary amine and a primary amine when the indicator chemical is an aldehyde. An integrator for determining the effectiveness of the germicidal process includes a substrate and an indicator chemical, where the indicator chemical is a primary amine or an aldehyde.

A multilayer food sterilization dosage indicator having (a) an indicator layer including an ion-sensitive ink, an ionic photoinitiator, a proton source; (b) a substrate, and an overlayer including a UV-absorber. The ink undergoes a color change upon exposure to a known amount of sterilizing radiation. A method for indicating the amount of exposure to sterilizing radiation using the dosage indicator.

The present invention relates to a sterilization indicator using a chemical indicator that is useful for hydrogen peroxide plasma sterilization treatment and a sterilization packaging material for storing an article to be sterilized by plasma sterilization treatment that has an indicator area formed from the sterilization indicator provided thereon. The plasma-sterilization indicator according to the invention, which includes one or more compounds (A) selected from the group consisting of adsorption indicators and metal chelate-titration indicators, and an organic metal compound (B) and is irreversible in discoloration and higher in discoloration speed, allows definite judgment of whether or not an article in a sterilization packaging material was previously subjected to plasma sterilization treatment and thus is useful as a plasma-sterilization indicator. It becomes possible to increase or control the discoloration speed and obtain a superior display performance by adding additionally a polyvalent alcohol (C) to the plasma-sterilization indicator. The sterilization packaging material according to the invention is a sterilization packaging material for storing an article to be sterilized by plasma sterilization treatment, part of which is made of a gas permeable paper or nonwoven fabric and which uses the plasma-sterilization indicator according to the invention for the indicator area, and allows definite judgment of whether or not an article therein was previously subjected to plasma sterilization treatment without affecting the sterilization performance.

Sterilization indicators that include a neutralizer, such indicators useful for testing the effectiveness of a sterilization procedure by measuring the activity of an active enzyme whose activity is correlated with the survival of microorganisms.

The invention relates to the use of a phase change material (20) for producing a sterile status indicator for a sterilisation container, and to a sterile status indicator for a sterilisation container comprising a fluid-tight container (10) that contains a phase change material (20). The container wall (11, 12) of the container (10) has at least one transparent region (12) and an activator (15), which can be activated to release activation energy and / or crystal nuclei. The activator (15) is in contact with the phase change material (20). The invention further relates to a sterilisation container comprising a container tray and a container lid, having a sterile status indicator, wherein the sterile status indicator is provided either on the container tray or on the container lid and in the sealed state of the sterilisation container the activator (15) is in indirect or direct connection with the other one of container tray and container lid.

The disclosure provides compositions and methods for making a colorized solution of an aqueous disinfectant that is both stable in bulk solution and will fade to clear within a predetermined period of time after being applied to a surface, for example as a spray or film. The compositions and methods described here allow an end user to visualize both the extent of coverage and the duration of contact of the disinfectant with the surface, thereby providing more efficient disinfection of the surface.

Control systems for disinfecting light systems and methods of regulating disinfecting energy generated by disinfecting systems are disclosed. The control system may include a first sensor and a second sensor positioned within a space illuminated by the disinfecting light system. The first sensor may measure an amount of disinfecting energy provided to the space by the disinfecting light system, and the second sensor may detect an environmental characteristic of the space. Additionally, the control system may include a controller operably coupled to the first and second sensor. The controller may regulate the disinfecting energy generated by the disinfecting light system by adjusting the amount of disinfecting energy provided to the space by the disinfecting light system in response to the amount of disinfecting energy provided to the space by the disinfecting light system measured by the first sensor, and / or the environmental characteristic detected by the second sensor.

A pathogen surrogate, formed by a DNA tag or bar code and a carrier, is described for use in the validation and verification of sanitation, such as in food processing operations and for wash water systems for fresh produce. The carrier material is selected so that the pathogen surrogate mimics the behavior of a pathogen when subjected to a sanitation operation. One or more surrogates can be introduced in to an environment, which is then subjected to sanitation process, followed by a detection process using the DNA tag of the surrogate.

Radiant energy control systems, methods, and apparatuses are provided. An example light emitting device may comprise a sensor operable to detect whether a space is occupied, and a controller in communication with the sensor and operable to cause output, via a first light emitter for a first time period in the space, of a white light comprising a spectral energy of up to 30% energy in a wavelength range of 380 to 420 nm, cause output, via a second light emitter for a second time period in the space, of a non-white light comprising a spectral energy greater than 70% energy in the wavelength range of 380 to 420 nm, and switch, based on whether the space is occupied and to achieve a minimum dosage of light in the wavelength range of 380 to 420 nm during a third period that includes the first time period and the second time period, between causing output of the white light and causing output of the non-white light.

An indicator for a sterilization process is configured to function for two different sterilization conditions. The indicator includes two pass zones to indicate whether an acceptable sterilization has occurred after a sterilization process at a first condition or after a sterilization process at a second condition.

Device designed to receive at least one biological sample, said device comprising:at least one container,at least one sampling means positioned inside the enclosure of said container,at least one container, such as a pouch or a compartment, comprising at least one disinfecting agent,optionally at least one analysis restricting means,wherein at least a portion of said sampling means and / or at least a portion of the analysis restricting means are / is designed to shift from a first position to a second position, andwherein said portion of said sampling means and / or said portion of the analysis restricting means are / is connected to said receptacle such that the opening of said receptacle can be mechanically induced by shifting from said first position to said second position.

Sterilization indicators that include a neutralizer, such indicators useful for testing the effectiveness of a sterilization procedure by measuring the activity of an active enzyme whose activity is correlated with the survival of microorganisms.

An indicator for a sterilization process is configured to function for two different sterilization conditions. The indicator includes two pass zones to indicate whether an acceptable sterilization has occurred after a sterilization process at a first condition of after a sterilization process at a second condition.

Provided is a method and an apparatus for indicating minimum exposure of a surface to UVC light emitted by a source during a decontamination process to achieve a desired level of pathogen reduction. The apparatus includes a photochromic material to be applied to, or applied adjacent to the surface. The photochromic material is to exhibit a visible response to receiving the minimum exposure to the UVC light, and exhibit the visible response to a lesser extent after the photochromic material ceases to be exposed to the UVC light emitted by the source. A protective layer of material that is substantially transparent to the UVC light emitted by the source is positioned over the photochromic material to be disposed between the source and the photochromic material during the decontamination process.

The present invention provides a plasma treatment detection indicator including a color-changing layer that changes color by plasma treatment, exhibiting excellent heat resistance, with the gasification of the color-changing layer or the scattering of the fine debris of the color-changing layer caused by the plasma treatment being suppressed to such a degree as to not affect the electronic device properties. Specifically, the present invention provides a plasma treatment detection indicator including a color-changing layer that changes color by plasma treatment, the color-changing layer containing at least one metal element selected from the group consisting of Mo, W, Sn, V, Ce, Te, and Bi in the form of a simple substance and / or an inorganic compound containing at least one metal element selected from the group consisting of Mo, W, Sn, V, Ce, Te, and Bi.

A chemical indicator device for use in detecting exposure to an oxidizing agent, such as hydrogen peroxide, comprising a substrate or support upon which is disposed a chemical indicator composition (ink) for detecting an oxidizing agent, such as hydrogen peroxide. The chemical indicator composition further comprises an indicator dye that achieves a distinct range of different color changes with clear transitions between colors, upon exposure to different doses of the oxidizing agent, thus allowing for both a qualitative and semi-quantitative assessment of exposure to the agent.