Medical equipment sterilization is big business, with a market value of $7,854.7 Million in 2018. Sterilization is an essential part of the medical care process. It allows doctors, dentists, hospitals, and anyone else in the medical field to safely reuse equipment.
Not all medical equipment goes through the same process for sterilization. A method that might be highly effective for one piece of equipment could destroy another.
This guide will explain all of the options available for you to sterilize medical equipment.
Ways to Sterilize Medical Equipmen
There are several steps in the sterilization process. You’ll start with cleaning and disinfecting. Then you can move on to the sterilization of medical equipment.
The cleaning stage ensures the room that you sterilize in is clean. This prevents immediate contamination post sterilizing. The second step is disinfecting.
You should disinfect the equipment and the surrounding area. It doesn’t matter as much the method you choose for disinfecting, just that you do it.
The third step is to choose one of these sterilization methods. The method you choose depends on the type of equipment you want to sterilize and what you are trying to clean. If you choose the wrong method, your equipment won’t get an effective clean.
Dry Heat Sterilization
This method takes a long time and is only safe for materials that are heat resistant. This is because the equipment gets exposed to temperatures over 300 degrees for a long period of time. The harmful pathogens get destroyed from the extreme heat.
Chemical Sterilization
For this method, a variety of chemicals work together to kill the pathogens on contact. Typical chemicals include bleach, hydrogen peroxide, and ethylene oxide. The medical equipment gets submerged in the chemical and then rinsed.
Steam Sterilization
Medical equipment steam sterilizers are one of the most widely used methods for sterilizing medical equipment. The process works on everything from glass bottles that you buy from ukmedi.co.uk to any equipment durable enough to withstand steam.
The sterilization process uses highly heated water particles that are put under an increasing amount of pressure.
Plasma Gas Sterilization
This is one of the least often used sterilization methods. It works in a similar method to the steam process. It differs because instead of water vapor, it uses hydrogen peroxide.
While it’s highly effective, it’s expensive and requires special equipment.
Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide (VHP) Sterilization
This is another method that uses hydrogen peroxide to sterilize the equipment. Instead of using a plasma gas, it traps the vapor inside of the chamber for a specific length of time.
You’ll find this method to be highly effective. However, it takes some time and can be expensive.
Sterilize Your Medical Equipment
As you can see, there are several methods available for you to sterilize medical equipment. The method you choose depends on your budget, the type of equipment you want to sterilize, and what you are trying to remove.
Given the purpose behind sterilization, it’s also important to consider the method’s effectiveness rate at removing all pathogens. The more effective the process, the safer the equipment will be.
Browse our other health-themed articles for more insightful advice about the medical and healthcare industry.
