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Equipment designed for total inactivation of microorganisms that are or may be present on medical devices and related products. These units usually consist of a treatment chamber that may include appropriate shelves on which the devices to be sterilized are placed, means to introduce the sterilizing agent in the chamber, and controls to regulate the parameters (e.g., time, temperature) of the procedure. Sterilizing units are available in a several shapes and sizes; dedicated units using a variety of technologies (e.g., liquid immersion, electrolysis, filter, heat) and/or particular agents (e.g., dry heat, steam, liquids and/or gas sterilants) are also available; some dedicated units are intended for sterilization of a particular type of devices (e.g., inoculating loops) or substance (e.g., agar).
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