190 New Irradiator Design for Emerging Medical Products
Larry Winn, Eric Beers, Richard Weins: MDS Nordion, Ottawa, Canada
E-Mail: eric.beers@mdsinc.com
Abstract
The design of large scale industrial irradiators has evolved significantly since the first North American irradiator was installed by MDS Nordion in 1963. Current designs provide efficient, effective and reliable delivery of sterilization dose for traditional single use medical disposables, as evidenced by the more than 40% share of the sterilization market commanded by gamma globally.
Today, however, new medical products are emerging that require lower dose, better dose uniformity and possibly a modified environment (cooling, oxygen depletion) in order to minimize radiation impact on sensitive biologicals. Moreover, many of these products are in a research and development phase, requiring a hands on approach to development of a sterilization cycle. These products are also typically high value and low volume.
This paper will discuss a new irradiator design being introduced to the market by MDS Nordion. The irradiator was designed specifically to meet many of the requirements being imposed on the radiation sterilization by the new breed of products described above. Specifically, the features of the design that address precision dose, temperature control and a hybrid (R&D/production) approach to sterilization will be detailed.