Mesa Labs Smart-Well Model 1710 Operation Manual - 9153 Rev E
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INTRODUCTION
The Smart-Well
®
incubator Model 1710 is a valuable laboratory tool used for the rapid evaluation and
automatic documentation of Smart-Read EZTest® steam biological indicators (BIs). The incubator
monitors Smart-Read BIs during incubation and alerts the user when growth is detected (positive) or when
the incubation period has ended without any growth detected (negative).
The Smart-Read EZTest BI is a self-contained color-change biological indicator consisting of a small plastic
culture tube containing an inoculated paper strip and a glass ampoule of liquid growth medium. Upon
removal from the sterilizer, the Smart-Read BI is activated by flexing the culture tube in the Smart-Well
incubator’s crushing cavity to break the media ampoule inside, allowing the growth medium to mix with
the paper spore strip. If any spores have survived the sterilization process, the bacteria will grow during
incubation and cause the pH indicator dye in the growth medium to change from purple to yellow.
The Smart-Well incubator continuously monitors up to ten independent exposed Smart-Read biological
indicators and one unexposed positive control BI for any color change to yellow during the incubation
period. All test results are automatically printed to the attached printer the moment they become
available, and the user is alerted in the event of an undesirable result by an audible alarm. Because the
incubator relies solely on a color change in the biological indicator itself, all test results are verifiable by
the operator.
The Smart-Well incubator features a touch-sensitive, color liquid crystal display (LCD) for interacting with
the powerful, feature-rich user interface. With minimal training, the operator can easily monitor
incubation status and review test history, and the intuitive interface guides the user through data entry
screens each time a BI is inserted for incubation – helping to ensure that test report data is accurate and
complete.
The Smart-Well incubator is calibrated to 60°C ± 2°C for proper incubation of Smart-Read EZTest biological
indicators containing spores of
Geobacillus stearothermophilus
. The incubator has an integrated
thermometer and the incubator temperature is displayed on the LCD screen in real-time for quick
reference. The incubator does not require field calibration, and operating temperature can be periodically
verified by simply inserting a thermometer probe into the thermometer cavity.
