Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Automatics, Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering, AGH University of Science and Technology, PL-30-059 Krakow, Poland.
Department of Electronic Systems, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway.
Sensors (Basel). 2021 Jan 13;21(2):510. doi: 10.3390/s21020510.
Surgical procedures involve major risks, as pathogens can enter the body unhindered. To prevent this, most surgical instruments and implants are sterilized. However, ensuring that this process is carried out safely and according to the normative requirements is not a trivial task. This study aims to develop a sensor system that can automatically detect successful steam sterilization on the basis of the measured temperature profiles. This can be achieved only when the relationship between the temperature on the surface of the tool and the temperature at the measurement point inside the tool is known. To find this relationship, the thermodynamic model of the system has been developed. Simulated results of thermal simulations were compared with the acquired temperature profiles to verify the correctness of the model. Simulated temperature profiles are in accordance with the measured temperature profiles, thus the developed model can be used in the process of further development of the system as well as for the development of algorithms for automated evaluation of the sterilization process. Although the developed sensor system proved that the detection of sterilization cycles can be automated, further studies that address the possibility of optimization of the system in terms of geometrical dimensions, used materials, and processing algorithms will be of significant importance for the potential commercialization of the presented solution.
手术过程涉及重大风险，因为病原体可以毫无阻碍地进入人体。为了防止这种情况，大多数手术器械和植入物都经过了消毒。然而，确保这一过程安全并符合规范要求并不是一件简单的任务。本研究旨在开发一种传感器系统，该系统可以基于测量的温度曲线自动检测成功的蒸汽灭菌。只有当工具表面温度与工具内部测量点温度之间的关系已知时，才能实现这一点。为了找到这种关系，已经开发了系统的热力学模型。热模拟的模拟结果与获得的温度曲线进行了比较，以验证模型的正确性。模拟温度曲线与实测温度曲线一致，因此开发的模型可用于系统的进一步开发过程以及用于开发自动评估灭菌过程的算法。尽管开发的传感器系统证明可以实现灭菌周期的自动检测，但进一步的研究，包括针对系统的几何尺寸、所用材料和处理算法进行优化的可能性，对于所提出解决方案的潜在商业化将具有重要意义。
