Importance of sterilization

Sterilization is an important process of removing potentially harmful microorganisms, viruses and fungal spores from instruments in medical facilities. However, traditional chemical and mechanical sterilization processes do not always remove 100% of microorganisms, leaving your patients at risk of infection. Autoclaves are ideal for eliminating microorganisms that can survive traditional sterilization methods.

You need to pay attention to the autoclave sterilization procedure

1. Take adequate protective measures

Biomedical waste disposal and sterilization of medical equipment are processes that medical personnel must always take care to ensure their safety is not at risk: infectious waste types are always at risk of contamination, and autoclaves use steam at temperatures between 121 and 134 degrees Celsius for disinfection. Sterilize and eliminate this risk. Ensure staff wear heat-resistant gloves, open-toe shoes and safety glasses when they have to handle any type of tools or waste near the autoclavist.

2. Check autoclave sterilization

Before starting the sterilization cycle, be sure to check the autoclave drainage network for any blockage and fill its tank with deionized water if necessary. There is no steam without water, and if the screen is blocked, the sterilization process cannot be carried out.

3. Pay attention to which materials cannot be sterilized

Autoclave sterilization can sterilize a large number of medical equipment and tools and even prepare medical waste for final disposal. Nonetheless, certain materials (even if they are heat resistant) are simply not compatible with steam sterilizers and can damage the machine or, worse, cause it to explode.

The following items cannot be put into autoclaves: dried bleach, pathological waste, hazardous and corrosive chemical waste, radioactive medical waste, low molecular weight toxins, and even sharp objects! Be careful, as if any of your equipment (including something as simple as a lab coat) is contaminated with this material, it is not suitable for the autoclave sterilization and needs to be cleaned prior to the steam sterilization process.

4. Do not open the autoclave door before the pressure reaches zero!

Under no circumstances should you open the autoclave door when the pressure in the chamber has not reached zero and the temperature is below 121 degrees Celsius. Otherwise, you are likely to break any glassware that is put into the autoclave for sterilization.

In the worst case, people operating steam sterilizers can suffer severe burns from extremely hot steam inside. That’s why even if you open the chamber door according to safety regulations, you should never stand completely in front of it, or you could burn yourself.

5. Ensure that the autoclave sterilization process is effective

Autoclave sterilization is equipped with an autoclave log to let you know that the correct parameters have been set and that the sterilization process has indeed been completed. Take the time to ensure adequate temperature is maintained when necessary and for as long as required.

We cannot stress how important this is: if you use a faulty autoclave, you will not only waste a lot of time, but also endanger the safety of patients and staff. No matter how effective and useful an autoclave is, the sterilization process is one that requires extreme care, and the absence of any one step can have dire consequences.

Risks

Autoclave is a sterilizer that uses high pressure and high temperature steam. While paying attention to the above autoclave measures, the potential safety risks for operators are also summarized:

• Thermal burns – from hot materials and autoclave chamber walls and doors

• Steam combustion – from the autoclave and residual steam in the material after completion of the cycle

• Heat flux burns from boiling liquid and spills in autoclaves.

• Hand and arm injuries while closing autoclave door.

• Bodily injury in the event of an explosion

Advantages/disadvantages of autoclave sterilization

Benefits:

• Economical or cheap

• Short operation time

• Provides good permeability on all surfaces

• No additional chemicals or disposables required

Disadvantages:

• moisturizing

• Carbon steel can be damaged by moisture

• Only stainless steel appliances and heat-resistant plastics can be disinfected