• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.156-163
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• 2017

To verify the usefulness of a steam sterilizer equipped with an electronic Bowie-Dick test system, this study was carried out using two methods, utilizing both a steam sterilizer and an electronic Bowie-Dick tester. The first method is to confirm the error detection of the chemical Bowie-Dick test pack and the electronic Bowie-Dick tester in a malfunctioning sterilizer environment. For this purpose, the Bowie-Dick test program for the steam sterilizer was used to test three types of test packs commonly used in hospitals and the electronic Bowie-Dick tester by changing the set values of temperature, time, and vacuum frequency. The second is an experiment to check the sterilizer's normal operation with the electronic Bowie-Dick tester and the usefulness of grasping the cause of the malfunction. The results showed that the sterilization temperature was the same as that of the test pack at a temperature $1{\sim}6^{\circ}C$ lower than the reference temperature of $134^{\circ}C$. In the test with the sterilization exposure time as a variable, there was a normal discoloration at a time difference of 30~90 s. In the experiment using the number of vacuum cycles, the test was correct by performing the normal discoloration only at the normal condition of 3 times. The test results of 30 hospitals were 100 failure tests by a total of 291 Bowie-Dick tests. Of these, the failure factors related to an internal temperature that the chemical test packs could not detect were the greatest, and the four factors related to temperature, including the internal temperature, were found to be 71.18% of total malfunctions. In addition, the Bowie-Dick tester was provided within 30 min after the start of the Bowie-Dick test to confirm the performance of the sterilizer and the detailed cause. A steam sterilizer equipped with an electronic Bowie-Dick test system is used to manage individual sterilizers. In the current steam sterilizer with many temperature-related errors, it is possible to check the malfunction of the temperature difference that the test pack cannot detect, and the cause of error for the sterilizer is immediately detected after the test. The steam sterilizer equipped with the electronic Bowie-Dick test system assists with infection control with accurate sterilizer performance assurance.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 1982

The incidence of hospital infection has been seriously increased in the general hospital in recent years. This study was performed on hospital air and materials in a General Hospital in Seoul from June to December in 1980. The results were as follows: 1. Air sampling was done in multiple strategic areas by exposing standard petridishes for 5 minutes. There was a significant difference of airborne microbe between places. ($F._{99}$ = 3.2, p < 0.01). 2. The mean colony count was 8.6$\pm$6.2 colonies / plate / 5 minutes. 3. Gram stains of colony in air sampling were Gram (+) cocci 66.5%. Gram (+) rod 18.4%, Gram (-) cocci 1.3%, Gram (-) rod 8.7% Fungus 4.5%. 4. For the evaluation of sterilization of steam sterilizer and ethylene oxide gas sterilizer, biological monitoring were done by commercial spore strip. Positive culture was obtained in 2 out of 41 tests on 3 steam sterilizers, and in 3 out of 13 tests on ethylene oxide gas sterilizer. 5. Product sampling and culture were done for 2 kinds of disinfectants and 30 sets of various operation package or dressing materials. Positive culture was obtained in one disinfectants.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.164-167
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• 2017

Biological efficiency (BE), the ratio of fresh mushrooms harvested per dry substrate weight, expressed as the percentage of Lentinula edodes, also known as shiitake, was determined using the 'Sanjo 701' strain stored in the Department of Mushroom at the Korea National College of Agriculture and Fisheries. The mycelia were grown in glass columns with varying levels of moisture content and varying mixing periods of 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 hours. The substrate was sterilized using a steam pressure autoclave sterilizer at normal and high pressure to avoid contamination. The results showed that mycelial growth (126 mm/15 days) was optimized at 55% moisture content. The best mycelial growth of 117 mm/15 days was obtained with 2 hours of mixing time. Normal pressure sterilization yielded better results with mycelial growth of 96 mm/15 days at $100^{\circ}C$ compared to 88 mm /15 days with sterilization at $121^{\circ}C$. Mycelial density was higher, i.e. 3(+++), with normal pressure sterilization compared to 2(++) with high pressure sterilization. Furthermore, sawdust mixed with 5% woodchips increased the substrate porosity and yielded higher mycelial growth. Thus, we demonstrated that the optimum harvest or potential increased yield of shiitake can be obtained by modulating moisture content, mixing time, and substrate porosity.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.195-201
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• 2022

This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of the disinfection of clinical ultrasound probes using the vapor fumigation method, which can quickly achieve high-level disinfection. Upon the inspection of the microbial contamination level of clinically used ultrasound probes, nine different types of bacteria were detected. The disinfection efficacy of 7.5% and 35% hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) was comparatively tested for the detected microbes. The 35% H₂O₂ demonstrated superior efficacy per disinfection duration. No significant change was observed in the rubber component of the ultrasound probes as a result of the 35% H₂O₂ disinfection treatment. The probes were contaminated with the microbes detected in the microbial contamination level inspection and subsequently disinfected using the novel medical disinfector that utilizes the vapor fumigation method. As a result, the disinfection using the novel device achieved 100% eradication of the microbes from the probes.This study demonstrates that the novel vapor fumigation method-based disinfector provides a faster and more powerful means of disinfection than the conventional disinfection methods. Therefore, the novel disinfector has the potential to be used as a convenient ultrasound probe disinfector in clinical settings.