The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing approval for a quicker method for checking whether steam sterilizers are functioning properly.
The Verify Cronos self-contained biological indicator (SCBI) from Steris is a new test designed to help speed the determination of whether steam sterilization of reusable medical devices is effective, according to an FDA press release. It is the first biological indicator test that gives results in two hours and is used in reprocessing, a multistep process to clean and disinfect or sterilize reusable medical devices.
Like other biological indicator tests, the Verify Cronos SCBI consists of a vial containing dried spores from the heat-resistant bacteria Geobacillus stearothermophilus.
