Researchers to develop plasma sterilisation technique

摘要

A Central SME Innovation Programme (ZIM) from the German government for SME-sized business research will help sterilise thermo labile flexible endoscopes using atmospheric pressure plasma. The government is funding research involving US-based Plasmatreat and Germany's Cleaning Technology Institute (wfk), which aims to replace existing heat-based sterilisation for medical devices. 'This method uses process gases to kill germs at lower temperatures and is harmless to the heat-sensitive components of endoscopes,' said Alexander Knospe of Plasmatreat. It will be available in 2014.