Monitoring Steam Sterilization of Surgical Instruments: a Dilemma

Monitoring steam sterilization of surgical instruments: a dilemma.

The study of two biological indicators in monitoring "flash" sterilization demonstrated that indicator construction often leads to a false interpretation of spore survival.

Factors concerned in the efficient steam sterilization of surgical dressings.

Some of the factors affecting the efficient steam sterilization of dressings have been examined. A jacketed sterilizer will process a load more quickly than a sterilizer without a jacket. The level of fore-vacuum is critical and must reach an absolute pressure of 20 mm. Hg (29.2 in.Hg vacuum) or less. This will overcome all conditions of overpacking studied. The level of after-vacuum should be ...

Monitoring sterilization of dressings in high-vacuum pressure-steam sterilizers.

Undetected air leaks in a high-vacuum sterilizer can defeat the sterilization process. For this reason the maintenance and supervision of these sterilizers needs expert engineering care. The importance of controlling the high-vacuum sterilization process from the centre of a load rather than the chamber drain is emphasized, and a method of detecting any failure in a high-vacuum process is descr...

A mighty weapon: steam sterilization.

Microbiological evaluation of the steam sterilization of assembled laparoscopic instruments 1

Objective: assess the safety of steam sterilization of assembled laparoscopic instruments with challenge contamination. Method: a laboratory experimental study, using as test samples trocars and laparoscopic graspers. Geobacillus stearothermophillus ATCC-7953 was used, with a microbial population of 106UFC/Filter paper substrate, removed from the biological indicator. Three of them were intro...