Hydrogen peroxide gas plasma sterilization has been touted for some years as a replacement for ethylene oxide. Originally, there were two companies offering sterilizers based on this technology, but the field has narrowed to one—the Sterrad^® line.

In November, 2007, Sterrad posted "Urgent Product Correction Information".

This information covers three matters

• All brand- and model-specific compatibility lists are now out-of-date, and the user is referred to the device manufacturer
• Contact with residual peroxide (possibility of skin burns) can occur, and light-colored residues can appear on devices after sterilization
• Compatibility issues are specifically identified for certain Olympus surgical instruments

We have posted an article discussing this situation to the popular webzine Health News Digest. The article is also mirrored here.

SPD officials and other interested parties are urged to contact their respective trade associations, and independent experts such as Q-Net to get the best advice on how to proceed.