This is a Class 4 Ethylene Oxide (EO) Sterilization Chemical Indicator Card, a critical tool for monitoring EO sterilization processes in healthcare settings.
Verification of Sterilization Effectiveness: Placed inside sterilization packages, it confirms whether EO gas has fully penetrated the package and achieved effective sterilization via a color change of the indicator (from red to blue). Process Monitoring: Serves as a chemical monitoring method for the sterilization cycle, compensating for the limitations of relying solely on external indicator tape to ensure the interior of the package also meets sterilization standards. Compliance & Traceability: Allows for recording of sterilization batch numbers, dates, and other information, meeting the healthcare industry’s requirements for traceability management of sterile items.
Instructions
When preparing a sterilization package, place the indicator card in the center of the package’s interior (typically the densest area of instruments, where sterilant penetration is most challenging). Wrap the instruments with sterilization packaging material (e.g., crepe paper, sterilization pouches) and seal the package with sterilization indicator tape. Load the sealed package into an EO sterilizer and run the cycle according to standard parameters (e.g., 54°C, 60% relative humidity, 2–4 hours sterilization time). After the sterilization cycle is complete, retrieve the indicator card from the package and inspect the color change: if the indicator has turned from red to the standard blue, sterilization is confirmed effective; if the color change is incomplete, re-sterilize the package. File the indicator card together with sterilization records for future traceability.
