An autoclave is also referred to as a steam sterilizer and is commonly used in industrial and medical applications. An autoclave is a sterilizer machine that makes use of the pressure of steam to destroy harmful viruses, bacteria as well as fungi, and the spores of items placed in an enclosed pressure vessel. The objects are heated to the appropriate sterilization temperature for a certain period of time.
The steam's moisture efficiently transfers heat to items, which destroys proteins in bacteria and the spores. In the field of healthcare, the word "autoclave" is often used as a term to refer to the Steam Sterilizer. ANSI/AAMI4, which provides guidelines and standards to process medical devices, describes autoclaves specifically for healthcare in the form of Steam Sterilizers.
How Does a Sterilizer Work?
Sterilizers are typically used in healthcare settings to sterilize medical equipment. The objects to be fixed go in a pressure vessel, often known as the chamber. Three elements are essential for ensuring successful sterilization - time, temperature, and the quality of steam. The autoclave process has three steps to fulfill these requirements:
- Condition Phase (C): Air hinders sterilization and is get removed from the area at the initial stage of the sterilization process, known as conditioning. In dynamic air removal-type steam sterilizers, the air may be removed by the vacuum system. It is also possible to remove it without a vacuum system with a series of steam flushes and pressure pulses. Steam-based sterilizers employ steam to move air through the chamber and then force the air out of the drain.
- Exposition (S): After the air has been evacuated from the sterilizer, the drain is shut, and steam continues to flow in the chamber, swiftly raising the temperature and pressure inside the chamber to a certain level. The process enters the exposure phase, and the items are kept within the temperatures for the predetermined period for sterilization.
- The Exhaust phase (E): During this final stage of the process, the drain of the sterilizer is released, and steam is taken out, depressurizing the vessel, allowing elements inside the container to dry.
High-quality steam is crucial for successful autoclave sterilization. The smoke used in sterilization must consist of 97 percent steam and 3 percent water. This ratio is suggested to ensure the highest efficiency of heat transfer.
When the content of the steam's moisture is less than 3.3%, the smoke is classified as being superheated. Superheated steam can be too dry to heat transfer efficiency and is unsuitable for sterilization.
Industrial vs. Medical Autoclaves
Autoclaves are used in many medical and industrial applications. Industrial autoclaves are utilized in manufacturing facilities to treat materials and parts with heated steam and pressure, for instance, making woods treated with pressure and the special rubbers that are used in the tires of your vehicle. These are also used in research labs and pharmaceutical industries.
The medical steam sterilizers are used in hospitals and healthcare settings for sterilization of things that are moisture and heat-resistant like surgical instruments, implants for medical devices, surgical linens, and drapes. The processes employed in sterilizer machines used in the medical field are designed and tested in accordance with established industry standards.