Autoclaves – AKA brume sterilizers – have come one of the most popular styles to treat surgical instruments in hospitals. Especially since the further compact interpretation can be installed directly at the point of operating theaters as well.
What is an autoclave? Why are steam sterilizers needed for surgical instruments?
Although autoclaves, also known as steam sterilizers, are used in many other industries, their use in the medical industry for sterilizing surgical instruments is particularly noteworthy.
Charles Chamberland, a French microbiologist who invented them, had this exact objective in mind: to give the medical business a more dependable way to handle medical equipment. In 1879, the first autoclave seemed nearly exactly like a pressure cooker. Hospitals started using steam sterilization technologies more frequently at the start of the 1930s.
Although there have undoubtedly been some advancements in this technology over time, the basic idea is still the same: autoclaves still disinfect surgical equipment using high-temperature, high-pressure steam.
In hospital operating rooms, the golden rule is extremely straightforward: all surgical instruments and equipment must be sterile before being utilized. Spores, viruses, and even heat-resistant bacteria can all be eliminated by steam sterilization.
Important: Sterilizing surgical tools with an autoclave produces better outcomes than cleaning or disinfecting them! It is not a suitable way to prepare for surgery!
For this reason, every hospital that performs surgeries must have an on-site option for sterilizing its medical equipment.
Steam sterilization is the method used by autoclaves to treat surgical tools. This entails subjecting the load inside the autoclave’s chamber to high pressure and temperature saturated steam. The boiling point of steam or water can be raised by steam sterilizers above 100 degrees Celsius. Steam can destroy bacteria on the surface of surgical tools when combined with heat, which is typically between 121 and 134 degrees Celsius. This is because steam shortens the time and heat required for foreign materials’ proteins to coagulate or denature.
1. Conditioning
The start of the steam sterilization process. Once the surgical tools are loaded into the autoclave’s chamber, the air is eliminated using gravity displacement or a vacuum pump. After the air is evacuated, the steam sterilizer starts to heat to the necessary temperature levels.
2.Exposure
Once the surgical tools inside the autoclave chamber attain a temperature between 121 and 134 degrees Celsius, steam at high pressure and temperature is injected into the chamber. The instruments within will stay exposed to the steam for a specific duration.The precise time and temperature must consistently be adjusted in line with the manufacturer’s guidelines. The specific duration for the process to finish is influenced by the type of autoclave utilized (gravity or vacuum) and the size of the load contained within.
3. Exhaust
The final phase of the steam sterilization process. Steam is slowly taken out of the autoclave’s chamber while the pressure within is eased. The surgical tools start to dry and lose heat. When pressure and temperature conditions return to normal, they can be taken away. It is STRICTLY forbidden to take any instrument out of the steam sterilizer’s chamber until this process is finished, as the high temperatures can quickly lead to burns.
In addition to the chamber capacity size of the autoclave used for sterilizing surgical instruments, you must also select its class. The primary distinction is in their methods for extracting air from the chamber at the beginning of the steam sterilization process: using gravity displacement or a vacuum pump. Although both choices are valid, vacuum autoclaves (often referred to as pre-and-post vac steam sterilizers) are widely regarded as the most sophisticated option on the market, and they are favoured at numerous healthcare institutions, ranging from major hospitals to minor clinics.
1) Gravity displacement autoclaves for surgical instruments
Comprises class N and class S autoclaves. Primarily utilized for flat medical instruments, but not suitable for managing more intricate loads. In summary, they do not possess the adaptability and quickness of the superior models.
The primary reason for this is that extracting air by gravity is significantly slower than pumping it out, and it’s also less dependable. Gravity displacement does not eliminate all the air within the autoclave’s chamber, which limits its use for sterilizing additional types of materials required in hospitals.
2) Vacuum autoclaves for surgical instruments
Accumax India vacuum autoclaves for surgical tools are currently available in over 80 nations globally. They can finish an entire 3-phase sterilization cycle in approximately 20 minutes (based on the load size inside).
In addition to flat medical instruments, they can also be utilized for treating textile materials, porous or hollow items, syringes, pipettes, or larger medical devices.
Utilizing a vacuum pump not only enhances speed but also increases the dependability of the steam sterilization procedure, as the steam can access every part of the load within when all air is eliminated from the autoclave’s chamber.
