STERILIZING MEDICAL DEVICES WITH ATMOSPHERIC PLASMA

DESCRIPTION (Verbatim from Applicant's Abstract): Atmospheric Glow Technologies, Inc. will investigate the efficacy of the patented One Atmosphere Uniform Glow Discharge Plasma (OAUGDP) in sterilizing medical devices and instruments. The OAUGDP has been shown to sterilize various surfaces against a number of microorganisms including viruses and spores. The use of atmospheric plasma to sterilize/decontaminate medical devices is, therefore, a new application of a proven baseline technology. Our goal is to develop and fabricate a prototype that will be commercially viable. We propose to inoculate stainless steel conventional surgical instruments with vegetative bacteria or spores and assess the conditions required to achieve sterilization of these devices. Currently available sterilization technologies have failed to consistently demonstrate sterilization success in rigid narrow-lumened instruments particularly against a challenge of organic debris. For this reason, we also propose to investigate the ability of OAUGDP to sterilize conventional and rigid lumened devices in the presence and absence of a protein and salt challenge. Preliminary evaluation of instrument surface changes will be made using SEM. Phase II work would include sterilization of flexible lumens, toxicity studies on potential instrument residues and further examination of any instrument surface alterations. Phase II efforts would also involve characterizing the active species generated by the OAUGDP. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: The OAUGDP technology is a new sterilization/decontamination process. Samples are sterilized within seconds to several minutes at room temperature, without production of harmful byproducts or batch processing. The technology is relatively inexpensive and can be engineered in several configurations. Such a device would fulfill a market niche in hospitals, physician and dental offices, to name a few.