Levels of residual ethylene oxide remaining on medical equipment after sterilisation are usually measured by extraction with water, but subsequent methods to analyse that water lack sensitivity. To resolve this, we present a method that involves using the focusing trap of Centri 90 to extract multiple large (5 mL) headspace volumes from a single water sample and analyse these together in one run. The method is fully automated and highly sensitive, achieving a detection limit of 0.35 μg/L from water with excellent linearity and reproducibility metrics.
Introduction
The sterilisation of medical equipment such as gauzes and bandages is critical for patient safety. A common means of sterilisation is through exposure to ethylene oxide (EtO) gas, which is highly effective at killing bacteria and other microorganisms that might otherwise cause infections. However, any residual EtO remaining after sterilisation may cause irritation and other undesirable effects when it comes into contact with patients.
To address this, methods to detect EtO and its degradation product 2-chloroethanol (2-CE) in medical equipment are used. Typically, the equipment is submerged in water, into which the EtO and 2-CE partition.1 Analytes are then extracted from the water, followed by separation and detection by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). However, achieving sufficient extraction efficiency during this second step can be challenging.
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