The research team at the Naval Medical Research Unit, San Antonio (NAMRU-SA) www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmrc/nmrc/pages/NAMRSA.aspx located at Joint Base San Antonio www.jbsa.mil at Fort Sam Houston, are developing a portable sterilizer. The sterilizer will be used in military field operations and operate by battery when power is not available.
Unlike current sterilizing devices, the ozone sterilizer doesn’t need any consumable resources that must be converted and transported to the field for sterilization to occur. The sterilizer uses ozone gas which is a strong oxidizing agent formed from oxygen and ambient air which can kill pathogens and bacteria that may form on medical and dental instruments.
“The prototype ozone sterilizer will enable military medical personnel to sterilize medical and dental instruments in areas that do not have the infrastructure to support electrical power and at the same time the ozone sterilizer will be less heavy to transport”, reports Roy Dory, Head of the Biomedical Systems, Engineering, and Evaluation Department, Combat Casualty Care Directorate at NMRU-SA.
Dory said, “The prototype will replace the bulkier sterilizer systems used in field operations, some of which can weigh hundreds of pounds, need a reliable source of power, and a reliable supply chain to function. By contrast, the ozone sterilizer can be used in austere settings that do not have a reliable source of power since the sterilizer can operate on backup battery power for up to six hours.”
Researchers have been working on the prototype sterilizer for three years. Once this testing is completed, researchers will be able to start developing the sterilizer, making it into an automated system capable of controlling ozone production, be able to monitor conditions in the sterilization compartment, and finally convert the remaining ozone back into oxygen at the end of the sterilization cycle.
Dory reports, “Researchers will still need more time to develop the prototype before it can be tested in military field operations. There will need to be discussions with potential users on the design parameters of the device, and the device will need approval from FDA.