Sterilization Cycle and BI Lot Trace Record

Build a sterilization cycle record that ties each biological indicator lot to every cycle it covered. Fill it in, print it, or export it as CSV. Free, no login, nothing is uploaded.

Generate the record

One row per sterilization cycle. Everything stays in this browser — you can close the page and come back.

Sterilization cycle and biological indicator lot trace record — printed

No rows yet. Fill the fields above and select Generate my trace table.
Cycle date	Sterilizer	Cycle type	BI lot	Result	Read at	Operator	Notes

Stored in this browser only. Nothing is sent to a server, and no patient information is involved. Use the delete button on a row, or clear the browser data for this site, to remove it.

Why the lot number matters more than the date

When an auditor opens a sterilization log, the question is rarely whether a test was done on a particular Tuesday. It is which cycles a given lot of biological indicators covered, and whether any of them came back positive. A log sorted by date cannot answer that in one step: a single lot is spread across several weeks, and a single week holds several lots. Traceability runs the other way, from the lot printed on the vial back to every cycle it was used in. That is also the direction a recall runs. If a supplier withdraws a lot, or a spore test reads positive, the affected window is defined by the lot and not by the calendar: every cycle processed from that lot's first use to its last use, including the cycles that ran after the positive was read. When the record is built by lot from the first entry, the answer already exists on the day someone asks for it.

How to trace a lot through your record

Enter the lot exactly as it is printed on the vial or the box, including any suffix. Do not normalise it, shorten it, or type it from memory; a lot that reads slightly differently from the package label breaks the link you are trying to build. Record one row for each cycle in which the lot was used, with the operator's initials and the time the result was read. Until an indicator has been read, record the result as Not read and the time it is due, then update the row when the reading is taken. If a result comes back positive, open By lot: the summary lists each lot with its first use, its last use, how many cycles it covered, and every operator who handled it. That window is the set of loads to review, and the same table is what you hand over when the question is asked. The Print button produces an A4 landscape sheet with the column headings repeated on every page, and the CSV export opens in any spreadsheet for a longer period.

What this record is checked against

Requirements differ by province and by setting, so check the wording that applies to your practice before you rely on a template. In Canada the reprocessing standard cited most often is CSA Z314; biological indicators themselves are described in the ISO 11138 series, and moist heat sterilization processes in ISO 17665. In Ontario, dental practices are inspected against the RCDSO IPAC Standard of Practice, which sets out what a sterilization record has to contain and how long it is kept. CliniEco Medical holds a Medical Device Establishment Licence (MDEL #35334) as an importer and distributor of the indicators and incubators used with this record. A licence covers our supply of those devices; it does not certify the record you keep, and this page does not replace the requirements of your regulator.