| Abstract: | ![]()
The Cathetron (Minntech Corporation, Minneapolis, MN) peracetic acid-based reprocessing method for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) catheters was evaluated for ability to sterilize and maintain catheter integrity. The balloons and lumens of 42 catheters (140 reprocessing cycles) were inoculated with suspensions of Staphylococcus epidermidis, S. aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus circulans. Five catheters failed the initial evaluation of mechanical integrity and were discarded. Cultures from 37 catheter lumens, balloons, and hubs (n = 349) were negative following reprocessing. The Cathetron system reliably sterilized PTCA catheter; however, further studies using different brands of catheters and evaluating catheter sterility over time under storage conditions are required. Cathet. Cardiovasc. Diagn. 41:132–135, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc. |
