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Autoclave Spore Test Log
A log for weekly biological indicator (spore) testing of your autoclave or steam sterilizer. It covers in-office tests and mail-in services: date placed, lot number, control and test results, and what you did if a test came back positive.
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Autoclave Spore Test Log
MedSpaBinder
Clinic
Sterilizer (make, model, serial)
Year
CDC: monitor steam sterilizers with a biological indicator at least weekly, and with every load containing implantable items.
Reviewed by: ______________________ Date: ____________
How often to spore test an autoclave
CDC's sterilization guideline recommends monitoring steam sterilizers with a biological indicator at least weekly, and with every load that contains an implantable device. Your state or your sterilizer's manufacturer may ask for more.
How to use this log
- Record each test on the day you place it: date, cycle or load number, and the biological indicator's lot number and expiry.
- Run a control from the same lot that isn't processed, so a failed test can be told apart from a bad batch of indicators.
- If you use a mail-in service, write the date you receive the result in the "Result date" column and keep the lab reports with this log.
- Log every result, including passes. A missing week reads the same as an untested week.
If a spore test is positive
- Take the sterilizer out of service and retest it, checking that it was loaded and operated correctly.
- If the retest is also positive, recall and reprocess items processed since the last negative test, as far as possible, and have the sterilizer inspected or serviced.
- Don't return the sterilizer to service until it passes. Record every step and date in the action column.
Questions
What's the difference between the control and the test?
The test vial goes through a sterilization cycle; the control from the same lot doesn't. The control should grow (positive) and the test shouldn't (negative). If the control doesn't grow, the indicators themselves are suspect.
Do chemical indicator strips count as a spore test?
No. Chemical indicators show that an item was exposed to the process. Only a biological indicator shows that the cycle actually killed resistant spores.
Sources
General guidance, not legal or medical advice. Requirements vary by state; follow your medical director and product labels.