Abstract: A medical article is heated to a temperature of at least 80 degrees F. Then, the medical article is loaded into a housing. After loading, the medical article may be heated within a sterilization-sealing station, by pressurizing the housing with steam through gas injection pins. The steam is supplied through gas injection pins. A sterilizing gas is also supplied to the medical article within the sterilization-sealing station. A determination is made as to how much time is required for the residual sterilizing gas to dissipate from the housing. The medical article is maintained in a degassing area until residual sterilizing gas dissipates from the housing. The housing may be formed between the first and second webs, which are sealed together after sterilization.

Abstract: A medical article sterilization device has a pretreatment area for medical articles, a device to form a housing in a first web, an article loading station, an alignment device and a sterilization-sealing station. A heat source at the pretreatment area heats the medical articles. At the article loading station a medical article heated in the pretreatment area is loaded into the housing in the first web. The alignment device aligns a second web with the first web. At the sterilization-sealing station the first web and the second web, with the medical article loaded into the housing, are sterilized and then, the first and second webs are sealed together. Gas injection pins may be provided at the sterilization-sealing station to inject gas into the housing, between the first and second webs. The sterilization-sealing station may have a steam source to inject steam into the housing, between the first and second webs.