Advanced Multi-Parameter Chemical Indicator for Reliable Sterilization Assurance
The Sterigage (Steri-Test) Type 4 by PMS Turkey is a sophisticated chemical indicator strip designed to verify critical parameters of steam sterilization cycles. As a Type 4, or multi-parameter indicator, it is engineered to react to multiple sterilization variables, providing a reliable visual check for time, temperature, and steam saturation. This essential tool is a cornerstone of any effective Sterile Processing Department (SPD) protocol, offering healthcare professionals immediate, on-site verification that an autoclave cycle has met the necessary conditions for sterilization.
Key Features & Benefits:
Type 4 Multi-Parameter Indicator: Responds to a combination of critical steam sterilization parameters, offering a more comprehensive check than basic Class 1 indicators.
Clear, Visible Color Change: Features a distinct and irreversible color transition (e.g., from white to dark brown/black) when the specific chemical formulation reacts to the correct steam, time, and temperature conditions.
Stringent Quality & Reliability: Manufactured by PMS Turkey to high-quality standards, ensuring consistent performance and dependable results batch after batch for trusted process monitoring.
Easy Integration into Workflow: Simple to use—just place it inside a instrument pack or peel pouch. Its design allows for easy placement and post-cycle inspection without ambiguity.
Supports Compliance & Traceability: Provides a physical, color-changed record that can be attached to documentation, aiding in quality assurance audits and meeting international standards (like ISO 11140).
Cost-Effective Monitoring: An affordable and essential component of a layered approach to sterilization quality control, helping to prevent the use of non-sterile items.
Therapeutic & Safety Benefits:
Immediate Process Verification: Offers a quick visual confirmation at the point of use, acting as a crucial final check before an instrument is used on a patient.
Enhanced Patient Safety: Helps reduce the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs) by providing an additional safeguard against process failures.
Operational Confidence: Empowers sterile processing technicians and healthcare staff with a reliable tool to validate each cycle, ensuring operational integrity.
Quality Assurance Documentation: Serves as tangible evidence of proper sterilization for quality control records and compliance purposes.
How to Use:
Placement: Before sealing, insert one Sterigage Type 4 strip into the geometric center of the instrument pack, tray, or peel pouch that is most challenging for steam to penetrate.
Processing: Run the load through a validated steam sterilization cycle in a properly functioning autoclave.
Interpretation: After the cycle and adequate cooling/drying time, examine the strip. A complete and uniform color change across the indicator windows signifies the required conditions were likely met. An incomplete, patchy, or absent color change is a FAIL result—the contents must be considered non-sterile, quarantined, and reprocessed.
Documentation: File the used, color-changed strip with the corresponding load control record as proof of monitoring.
⚠️ CRITICAL MEDICAL & PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY:
Sterigage Type 4 strips are chemical indicators and are NOT a substitute for biological monitoring (spore testing) or routine equipment maintenance. They are one essential layer in a comprehensive Sterilization Quality Assurance program. These products must be used strictly in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, your facility's infection control policies, and by trained personnel. Always consult with your Sterile Processing Department lead or infection control officer for proper protocols. A passing chemical indicator does not guarantee sterility but confirms the physical cycle parameters were met.
