The Vapor Line® integrator is a chemical indicator for monitoring the essential conditions of steam sterilization processes - saturated steam, temperature, and time in gravity displacement and pre-vacuum sterilizers operating in the 250°F - 272°F temperature range.
The integrator is designed to show equivalence in performance to biological indicators. During sterilization, the dark colored bar migrates along a paper wick through PASS and FAIL areas, indicating whether the sterilization conditions were met. The PASS result assures that conditions in the sterilized pack were sufficient to kill even the most resistant forms of microorganisms plus an "overkill period" - a safety zone beyond the spore death curve for an additional level of sterilization security.