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PCD's for Monitoring Sterilizers



PCD's (Process Control Devices) for monitoring sterilizers are valuable devices for predicting the outcome of the sterilization process used in your facility. The PCD restricts access of the sterilizing agent (EO Gas, Steam, Chemical Vapor, or Dry Heat) to the indicator contained inside the device. This restriction is similar to the challenge presented by the contents of a load to be sterilized. In healthcare applications, the load is presumed to contain a variable number of viable micro-organisms prior to sterilization. Indicators used are typically specific biological indicators (BIs), selected because the spores they contain are assumed to be more resistant than the contaminating micro-organisms. Therefore, if the spores within the BI of the PCD are totally inactivated, there is a high probability that the micro-organisms of the load were also totally inactivated. PCDs may contain BIs, chemical indicators (CIs), or both BIs and CIs.