Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2023 Nov 1;94(11):857-860. doi: 10.3357/AMHP.6294.2023.
During spaceflight, it is important to consider the mechanisms by which surgeries and medical procedures can be safely and efficiently conducted. Instruments used to carry out these processes need to be sterilized. Thus, we have designed and tested a three-dimensional-printed (3D-printed) portable sterilizer that implements far ultraviolet-C (Far UV-C) light radiation to disinfect bacteria and microorganisms from surgical instruments. The sterilizer was 3D-printed with polylactic acid filament. Effectiveness was assessed through three trials at differing times of sterilization and compared against a control group of no sterilization and against Clorox wipes. Cultures were incubated on agar dishes and counted with ImageJ. Increasing time under Far UV-C light radiation increased the percentage of sterilization up to 100% at 10 min. The 3D-printed sterilizer was significantly better than Clorox wipes and control. As sterilization will be necessary for surgical procedures in microgravity and upmass is a significant concern, we have successfully demonstrated a 3D-printable portable sterilizer for surgical instruments that achieves 100% success in using Far UV-C light to disinfect its surface of bacteria with a 10-min sterilizing time. Further research is necessary to test this design in microgravity and with differently sized and shaped instruments.
在太空飞行中，考虑手术和医疗程序如何安全有效地进行的机制非常重要。用于进行这些过程的仪器需要进行消毒。因此，我们设计并测试了一种 3D 打印的便携式消毒器，该消毒器采用远紫外线-C（Far UV-C）光辐射来消毒手术器械上的细菌和微生物。该消毒器使用聚乳酸长丝进行 3D 打印。通过在不同消毒时间进行的三次试验评估了有效性，并与未经消毒的对照组和高乐氏湿巾进行了比较。将培养物在琼脂盘上孵育并用 ImageJ 进行计数。在 Far UV-C 光辐射下的时间增加，消毒百分比最高可达 10 分钟时的 100%。3D 打印的消毒器明显优于高乐氏湿巾和对照组。由于在微重力下进行手术需要进行消毒，并且向上运输是一个重大问题，因此我们已经成功地展示了一种可用于 3D 打印的便携式手术器械消毒器，该消毒器使用 Far UV-C 光在 10 分钟的消毒时间内成功地对其表面的细菌进行 100%的消毒。需要进一步研究来测试这种设计在微重力下以及不同大小和形状的仪器中的效果。
