Infection ControlQuestion 67 of 100
An assistant sees that the tape on a sterilization pouch has changed color and concludes the instruments inside are sterile. Why is that conclusion wrong?
a.An external chemical indicator only shows the package was exposed to the process, not that sterilization was achieved
b.Color-change tape is only used to label the date
c.Chemical indicators are more reliable than spore tests
d.The tape changes color only when the cycle fails
Explanation
External chemical indicators distinguish processed from unprocessed packages but respond to a single parameter such as heat, so a color change does not confirm that all conditions for sterilization were met. Only biological spore testing verifies that microorganisms were killed. The tape is not a date label, it changes with successful exposure rather than with failure, and it is less definitive than a spore test.
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