The "sterile" debate: the effects of radiation sterilization on polymers.
All medical devices have to be sterilized, but the process of killing bacteria and other organisms can also have some deleterious effects on the devices themselves. This article discusses the mechanisms by which gamma irradiation can cause polymer damage and the potential consequences of this.
Williams
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Clinical Engineering Department, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, UK. dfw.ce@liverpool.ac.uk
D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D004868:Equipment Failure; D005720:Gamma Rays; D011108:Polymers / Q000528:radiation effects*; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D013242:Sterilization / Q000379:methods*