Restoring My Complexion

When Is EO Sterilization The Right Choice?

14 September 2021 by Dylan Owens

You can use ethylene oxide (EO) to sterilize a wide range of medical devices. It is, however, one option among many. You may wonder when EO device sterilization will be the right choice compared to the others. It's wise to look at this issue by examining what you wish to sterilize. Here are five such cases where an organization may turn to an EO sterilization service provider.

Plastics

Some kinds of plastic will react to certain sterilization processes. For example, some plastics quickly degrade and become brittle due to UV exposure. EO offers a way to treat those plastics quickly without damaging their long-term value.

Also, some plastics have low melt points. It's hard to clean these plastics with steam, and some may perform poorly even with just hot water.

Reactive Metals

Vaporized acids and gases are common sterilization materials for medical devices. Unfortunately, it only takes one highly reactive metal component in a device to rule those options out. You don't want to develop rust contacts or corroded surfaces. EO device sterilization is often a good option when you need to decontaminate metals that quickly react to acids, chlorine gases, and nitrogen dioxide.

Hard-to-Reach Places

EO is especially good at getting around inside medical devices. The classic example is a catheter. Catheters are frequently long, and you're not going to have an easy time being sure you got every inch of the inside. Ethylene oxide is a colorless ether that rapidly moves around curves and corners so you don't have to perfectly prepare the devices for sterilization. It also dissolves quickly in water so you can trust the rinse process to provide a clean surface.

Devices in Highly Infectious Settings

EO sterilization service providers often work with customers who need to decontaminate devices from highly infectious settings. One of the virtues of EO is its ability to attack a broad spectrum of pathogens, including fungi, bacteria, and viruses. It doesn't have immense penetrating power, so make sure to clean or have your services provider clean organic matter before starting an EO cycle.

Heat-Sensitive Materials

At room temperature, EO remains a gas. That makes it an ideal choice for materials that are heat-sensitive or if you need to sterilize devices with components that could melt or warp. This means you can use it to sterilize the inside of an electronic device without worry the process will desolder the contacts, for example.

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