Sterilization of Medical Instruments

摘要

A need exists for a portable sterilization system that can quickly sterilize skin for possible use with medical instruments and skin catheters. To address this challenge, MicroStructure Technologies (MicroST) is developing an atmospheric pressure nonthermal plasmas for rapid deactivation of cells and bacterial spores on surfaces. For example, the lethal Ames strain of Bacillis anthrocis has been deactivated after a minute of ionized gas exposure. The objective of this DARPA seedling project is to demonstrate the sterilization efficiency of novel plasma blanket designs on: * Inoculant bacteria such as Staphylococcus and possibly Leishmaniasis. * Bacterial spores require longer exposures to ionized gases to effect sterilization * The inoculant shall be placed on the top and/or bottom of artificial skin to reveal surface and subcutaneous sterilization capability of the ionized gas treatment. The plasma blanket succeeded in demonstrating close to a log 3 reduction in bacterial cells on skin samples.