Atmospheric pressure plasmas for decontamination of complex medical devices

Abstract

Atmospheric pressure plasma sources produce a multiplicity of different antimicrobial agents and are applicable to even complicated geometries as well as to heat sensitive materials. Thus, atmospheric pressure plasmas have a huge potential for the decontamination of even complex medical devices like central venous catheters and endoscopes. In this paper we present practicable realizations of atmospheric pressure plasma sources, namely plasma jet, dielectric barrier discharge and microwave driven discharge that are able to penetrate fine lumen or are adaptable to difficult geometries. Furthermore, the antimicrobial efficacy of these sources is given for one example setup in each case. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.