A HIGH SPEED MEDICAL INSTRUMENT STERILIZATION PROCESS

Phifer Smith Corporation, Palo Alto CA

Investigators

Abstract

We propose to develop a new process for sterilizing heat sensitive medical instruments. Our approach will provide physicians and surgeons and nurses with a system for sterilizing rigid and flexible endoscopes and other heat sensitive medical instruments at very high speed at a very low per- cycle cost. Our preliminary data and analysis has shown that the process has the potential to sterilize medical instruments in 5 minutes compared to 30 to 40 minutes required by the leading competing process. The process has a projected consumables cost of $0.50 per cycle compared to $4.50 to $9.00 per cycle for the leading competing process. The high speed and low per-cycle cost will encourage medical personnel to use sterilization in lieu of disinfection and thereby reduce the risk of instrument borne transmission of infectious diseases. In phase I we will design and construct an experimental sterilization test system and measure the physical performance. We will test the efficacy of the sterilization process against a standard microbial challenge. Finally, we will make a preliminary assessment of materials compatibility. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: A number of medical instruments cannot withstand the temperatures required for sterilization in an autoclave. These include rigid and flexible endosocopes (such as angioscopes, gastroscopes, colonscopes, uretheoscopes, bronchoscopes, laparoscopes), dental instruments, and microsurgical tools.