Bioburden4 FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW

What is bioburden?

Bioburden is the measure of living microbes on a surface that has not yet been sterilized.

Most commonly, bioburden is referenced when being tested for on medical devices or objects used in medical care facilities.

The most common microbes tested for in bioburden are Yeast Candida albicansBacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli)Bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosaBacteria Staphylococcus aureusFungus Aspergillua niger

Candida albicans causes oral and genital infections

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a common cause of food poisoning

Pseudomonas aeruginosa infects damaged tissue with decreased immunity

Staphylococcus aureus is the most common cause of Staph infections

Aspergillua niger causes black mold

Why test for bioburden?

These microbes, though not usually much to worry about in normal life, can be extremely dangerous and life-threatening if unintentionally inserted into the body during medical procedures.

By testing for bioburden, scientists can determine the most effective ways to sterilize medical equipment to make them safe for use.

Doctors don’t want to send a sick patient home with a disease that could have been prevented from a little sterilization.

Who completes bioburden testing?

The FDA and International Organization for Standardization have specific guidelines that must be followed when testing for bioburden.

Medical device companies are required to perform bioburden testing in house or hire a lab to perform the tests for them, such as Nelson Laboratories.

During bioburden testing, devices may be cut up and dismantled to test every surface of the product.

How is bioburden managed?

Medical device companies perform bioburden testing on their first run of a product to determine the necessary sterilization techniques for all the other runs.

Random routine testing is performed after that to ensure that the appropriate measures are being taken and the medical devices are truly safe.

Time lapse tests are also performed to see how often sterilization is required for certain products.

Scalpels, catheters, and other frequently used medical devices are sterilized after every use. Other devices may only need to be sterilized once a week or between uses on different patients.

The two primary sterilization methods areEthylene Oxide: devices are exposed

to toxic gas, which eliminates hiding microbes.

Radiation: gamma rays or X-rays that penetrate all types of materials (cloth, metal, plastic, etc.) are used to eliminate microbes on medical devices.

These sterilization techniques can be performed at medical care facilities with the right equipment, or can be sent to a secondary location to complete the same procedures.

Either way, bioburden is eliminated to prevent harmful infections or diseases to patients.

Everyone is happy when patients get healthy and stay healthy.

For more information on bioburden or bioburden testing see http://www.slideshare.net/DocKetchum/bioburden-testing, or contact Nelson Laboratories