Infection control through Gamma Irradiation sterilization of cannula

Cannula is a medical device usually used in hospitals for introducing medicine or draining off fluid from the body. It should be highly sterilized prior to use. Several methods of sterilization are being used for the elimination of microflora from medical devices including cannula. There have been reported many cases of life threatening diseases associated to unsterilization, some of which can have serious consequences. Bearing in mind the complications of unsterilized cannula, commercially available cannulae were collected to determine the bioburden on them. After the identification of bacteria, samples were gamma irradiated at different doses of 20 kGy, 25 kGy, 30 kGy and 35 kGy to eliminate the microflora. The 35 kGy dose of gamma radiation resulted in complete elimination of microflora from the cannulae. In this study, suggestion is made for the sterilization of cannula by gamma irradiation to reduce the chances of infection from its use. This preliminary study may prove beneficial for improving the methods of sterilization of medical devices which can lead to raise hygienic standards of people and in turn can positively affect healthcare conditions of people in Pakistan