Efficacy Of Autoclave And Its Usage In Clinical Setups

Summary: Medical Autoclaves are specialized devices used in clinical setups for steam sterilization of medical apparatus. These devices may vary in size but the operating principle is the same as the pressure cookers.

In clinical setups like hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centers, doctors and nurses have to use a wide range of equipments and specialized devices. They need such equipments to carry out myriads of tests, perform treatments and operations etc. At any cost, maintaining hygiene and eliminating germs is a prime requirement in such setups. Keeping surgical and clinical apparatus and stuffs away from contamination is absolutely necessary. That is why doctors and medical staffs resort to precise sterilization methods and devices. One such example is Medical autoclave.

Usage of Autoclaves

The major usage of autoclaves is in clinical setups and it is used for sterilization. They are also used for neutralizing biohazard materials before disposing them. Sometimes, equipments used for tattooing are made germ free using these devices. Dental autoclaves are used to sterilize plenty of equipments used by dentists.

Nuances of autoclaves

Autoclave was invented way back in 1879 by a French Microbiologist named Charles Chamberland. He was a contemporary of Patuerisation’s inventor Louis Pastuer. The working mechanism of a Medical autoclave is not actually different from that of a pressure cooker. The autoclave generates supersaturated pressurized steam which is used to sterilize devices. A vent is kept on top of the device to let excess steam find a way out. The majority of autoclaves have a cylindrical shape since it helps the steam develop in a uniform way in chamber. The temperature and pressure gauges are also used.

The Medical autoclave is used to sterilize equipments with heated steam. The heated steam and pressure eliminates nearly all kinds of microorganisms. It is way more effective than using regular method of boiling water in an open pot. When water is heated inside an autoclave the steam and pressure leads to rise in boiling temperature by almost twenty percent. This ensures the germs are killed effectively. You may find a number of Dental autoclave units in market that are computer controlled. This ensures the devices can be used to achieve accurate temperature and pressure levels as per needs.

Types of autoclaves

As a matter of fact, autoclaves come in various builds and sizes. You will find entry level small Dental autoclave devices that look quite like microwaves. They have cart like mountings beneath. This ensures smooth portability which can be a necessity in medical setups. Large sized

autoclaves can be like a dishwasher in dimension. In such large sized autoclaves, sterilizing oodles of medical equipments is not a problem. It saves time and makes things easy for carrying out medical procedures.

Earlier, autoclaves were mostly manual in nature but in present generation products much human intervention is not necessary. They are mostly one touch automated devices. These devices also take less time for sterilization. In recent years, the autoclaves are not used as widely as they were in some setups. Disposable syringes and needles are preferred by such clinics and hospital managements. However, sterilization is something medical professionals cannot do without and so the importance of autoclaves will be there.