Multicentre trials for decontamination of fine-lumen PTFE tubes loaded with bacterial endospores by low and atmospheric pressure plasma

Today more and more thermo-labile medical devices are applied, which have to be decontaminated with low-temperature sterilization methods. One method under development is the low-temperature plasma. For the comparability of the antimicrobial efficacy of two low-temperature plasma setups in fine-lumen polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tubes, independent of performer, round robin tests with Bacillus atrophaeus and Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores loaded with 0.3% BSA were done. All in all six test series were necessary to standardize the process and to achieve comparability, reproducibility, and microbiological variability. The results provide new evidence to the importance of standardization in microbiological investigations in terms of decontamination. This new tool is useable for established and new decontamination and sterilization equipment.