Autoclave machines for hospitals are at the forefront of medical sterilization technology. They can be used to facilitate medical waste disposal on-site, and allow the reuse of hospital tools and equipment without the risk of spreading infections.
Read on to know how to choose the model that is best suited for your facility!
This is how an autoclave machine for a hospital sterilizes waste and medical tools
The main reason behind the popularity of autoclave machines in hospitals are the following:
- An on-site solution that reduces the risks associated with storing and transporting infectious medical waste off-site. Since the waste will already be free from infectious foreign materials, it can be handled like regular municipal waste, and won’t require extra safety measures after the steam sterilization process. This also helps in reducing transportation costs related to moving hazardous medical waste.
- A reliable way to sterilize previously used medical tools which can then be used again for the treatment of patients without any risks of infection. Only sterile medical tools are suited for surgery in hospitals!
- A cost-effective and sustainable alternative to incineration. Prioritizing non-incineration technologies is one of the main goals of the WHO. While certain hazardous materials (like chemicals and pharmaceuticals) do require high-temperature incineration to be destroyed, most medical “red bag” waste can be handled by autoclaves. These machines emit zero harmful substances and are easier and less costly to install and operate in hospitals.
All autoclaves achieve this via the use of high-pressure, high-temperature steam that usually ranges between 121 and 134 degrees Celsius. This is why they are also called “steam sterilizers”. Waste and tools can be loaded inside the autoclave machine’s chamber, where steam will be gradually introduced to sterilize the surface of hospital equipment.
Autoclaves usually differ from each other according to:
- The size of their capacity chamber, which defines how big of a load you can sterilize in one cycle and defines how much available space you will need for installation.
- Their class or cycle type. Gravity sterilization cycles are good for basic items like flat medical tools but aren’t as versatile or fast as vacuum sterilization cycles.
What kind of materials can be treated by an autoclave machine for hospitals?
Always remember that autoclave machines for hospitals are definitely needed for the sterilization of surgical tools used at operating theaters. Disinfecting medical equipment is NOT the same as sterilizing it, as some foreign materials may still be present on the surface of medical tools! Steam sterilization ensures that even heat-resistant bacteria are destroyed once the materials are treated in an autoclave.
Always make sure to check the manufacturer’s instructions to see what specific materials can be handled by the model you chose.
Autoclave machines for hospitals can usually treat the following materials:
- Metallic medical tools, surgical instruments
- Stainless steel
- Hospital linens, textile materials, PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), paper
- Latex gloves, vinyl
- Culture media solutions
- Biological tissue culture flasks and plates
- Polypropylene and polycarbonate plastics
- Plastic pipette tips, plastic tubes
- Solid items contaminated by blood and other bodily fluids (such as gauze and bandages)
- Glassware
How to choose the “best” autoclave machine for hospitals? Size and type
Autoclave machines for hospitals usually consist of medium and large steam sterilizers.
- Medium-sized models are perfect as a backup to treat simultaneous loads or to be used at the size of operating theaters. As a popular European manufacturer, Celitron’s autoclave machines for hospitals provide many benefits for larger medical facilities. Regardless of size, they are all vacuum cycle-based autoclaves that provide much-needed speed and versatility during the day-to-day activities of medical staff.
- As for larger models, they are ideal for treating accumulated loads to make sure medical staff can sterilize the great number of tools that are constantly used for the treatment of patients. Not to mention hospitals also generate a large amount of waste.
Autoclave machines for hospitals usually operate with vacuum-based cycles. These models are also known as “class B” steam sterilizers. Depending on the size of the load inside their chamber, they only need about 20 minutes to complete one full sterilization cycle, including the cooldown and drying phase.
The addition of special safety features and a completely automated steam sterilization process allows hospital staff to work much more efficiently. Not to mention that the greater versatility of these autoclave machines allows for the treatment of much more types of materials present in hospitals, such as wrapped and unwrapped medical instruments or textile and porous materials.
