Several techniques are available to sterilize medical products.
IONISOS offers its clients two main types of treatments: ionizing sterilization (gamma and beta) and gas sterilization (with ethylene oxide).
Ionizing sterilization (or radiation sterilization) has been used industrially since the mid-1950s. The treatment involves exposing the packaged medical devices to be sterilized to rays that trigger the formation of ions, allowing for the destruction of the DNA of bacteria and microorganisms present.
There are two distinct methods of ionizing treatments (beta, gamma); each type of ray is fundamentally different—beta rays or e-beam consist of accelerated electrons, while gamma rays come from the decay of a radioactive source, Cobalt 60—but the principle of sterilization remains essentially the same, with some variations.
For example, gamma treatment has a high penetration capability at a low dose, allowing entire pallets of products to be sterilized in a single pass, while e-beam treatment, which has a lower penetration power, sterilizes products in cartons in two passes (carton upright, then upside down) with a few seconds of exposure.
Finally, sterilization with ethylene oxide involves exposing the products to gas in a vacuum chamber at low temperature after humidifying them. Once the treatment is applied, the degassing phase removes chemical residues through a series of vacuums and rinses of the cells.
