Plasma for Bio-Decontamination, Medicine and Food Security
Non-thermal (cold) plasmas at atmospheric pressure have recently found many breakthrough applications in biology, medicine, and food security. Plasmas can efficiently kill bacteria, yeasts, moulds, spores, biofilms and other hazardous microorganisms, incl
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Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas for Decontamination of Complex Medical Devices Klaus-Dieter Weltmann, Jörn Winter, Martin Polak, Jörg Ehlbeck, and Thomas von Woedtke
Abstract Atmospheric pressure plasma sources produce a multiplicity of different antimicrobial agents and are applicable to even complicated geometries as well as to heat sensitive materials. Thus, atmospheric pressure plasmas have a huge potential for the decontamination of even complex medical devices like central venous catheters and endoscopes. In this paper we present practicable realizations of atmospheric pressure plasma sources, namely plasma jet, dielectric barrier discharge and microwave driven discharge that are able to penetrate fine lumen or are adaptable to difficult geometries. Furthermore, the antimicrobial efficacy of these sources is given for one example setup in each case.
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Introduction
Recent improvements in medical science mostly go along with the enhancement or the new development of diagnostic and therapeutic devices. In dependence on their field of application the assembly of these devices can become quite complex, which means that a multiplicity of different materials are used. Furthermore, sensitive electronical or mechanical components can be implemented as well. Endoscopes or central venous catheters are prominent examples for such complex medical devices.
K.-D. Weltmann (*) • J. Winter • M. Polak • J. Ehlbeck • T. von Woedtke Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology e. V. (INP Greifswald), Felix-Hausdorff-Str. 2, 17489 Greifswald, Germany e-mail: [email protected]
Z. Machala et al. (eds.), Plasma for Bio-Decontamination, Medicine and Food Security, NATO Science for Peace and Security Series A: Chemistry and Biology, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-2852-3_1, © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012
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Typically, these devices are intended to be applied in contact with or even inside the human body. Hence, stringent hygienic standards must be kept in order to avoid device associated infections. Sterility, which means a state of being free from viable microorganisms, is generally one of the key requirements in the preparation process of a complex medical device. But also the sufficient decontamination from other substances e.g. pyrogens must be considered. The most effective sterilization method is still the use of hot steam with a temperature of 121°C or 134°C [1]. However, the hot steam sterilization of catheters and endoscopes is restricted due to their implemented heat sensitive materials. Furthermore, fever provoking bacterial endotoxins (pyrogens) are not removed by this process. Low temperature sterilization methods like the low temperature steam sterilization with formaldehyde (NTDF) and the use of microbicidal gases e.g. ethylene oxide (ETO) or hydrogen peroxide are commercially applied to reprocess heat sensitive devices nowadays. Despite the advantage of avoiding thermal damage of the medical product these methods have different disadvantages. Most of the used microbi
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