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Monitoring 2: chemical indicators (every package)
Also called: CI, indicator strip, autoclave tape, integrator
Color-change strips and tape that show a package saw the right conditions.
Chemical indicators change color when exposed to sterilizing conditions. An external indicator (such as autoclave tape or the stripe on a pouch) only shows that the package went through a cycle; it is a Type 1 or process indicator. Internal indicators sit inside the package. Multi-variable indicators (Type 4) react to two or more of the critical conditions (such as time, temperature and steam); integrating (Type 5) and emulating (Type 6) indicators react to all of them.
How to spot it
- Stripes on tape or pouches that darken, and paper strips inside packs with a color window or a moving bar.
What you do
- Check the external indicator when unloading and the internal indicator when you open the pack at the chair.
- If an indicator did not change, do not use the instruments; reprocess them and report it.
Related
Sources: CDC. Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings, 2003. MMWR 2003;52(RR-17), CDC. Dental Infection Prevention FAQs: Sterilization Monitoring, STERIS. 6 ISO Types of Chemical Indicators for Steam Sterilization