Hospital sterilizer machines – sometimes better known as autoclaves – have become extremely popular among many medical facilities in the last couple of decades, including veterinary and dental clinics. There are many reasons behind the popularity of this on-site solution – read on to find out why it is worth having a hospital sterilizer machine at a hospital!
Table of Contents
Hospital sterilizer machines – How does an autoclave work?
One of the main reasons behind the popularity of hospital sterilizer machines is that they use steam as a source. As such, autoclaves are among the best green solutions approved by the WHO. Their sustainable operation also means lower operational costs for medical facilities that use them compared to incinerators.
Autoclaves can kill all manners of foreign materials present on the surface of medical (red bag) waste and hospital tools – even those that would otherwise be resistant to heat. This reliable sterilization method is achieved by introducing dry saturated steam under pressure inside the autoclave’s chamber, where tools and waste can be loaded. The temperature of the steam inside the hospital sterilizer machine can reach well beyond 100 degrees Celsius to achieve the desired effect.
In a nutshell, any autoclave-compatible material that goes through the steam sterilization process is free from any infectious materials. This means hospital staff can reuse tools and certain elements of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) without the risk of propagating infections to other patients and members of staff. Not to mention that otherwise highly infectious waste can now be thrown away like regular waste.
Have hospital sterilizer machines become more popular than incinerators?
Off-site and on-site incinerators often come up as a comparison when talking about hospital sterilizer machines. All medical waste disposal and hospital equipment sterilization methods have their merits, especially when it comes to materials that cannot be treated with autoclaves.
Still, in most cases, on-site autoclaves have some definite benefits compared to installing an on-site incinerator.
- Hospital sterilizer machines are simply much more affordable compared to on-site incinerators both capital and operation cost-wise.
- There is no risk of air pollution with autoclaves. They also emit no bad odors thanks to a closed vessel system.
- The installation of steam sterilizers takes much less time and requires much less free space.
- Hospital autoclaves require no special training to be used efficiently: their safe operation takes much less time to be learned, and the entire sterilization process can be launched with the push of a button.
What is the most popular type of hospital sterilizer machine? About class B autoclaves
Manufacturers who can offer a wide range of class B sterilizer machines are usually more popular within the healthcare industry. As such, it’s no miracle that Celitron’s hospital autoclaves have such a worldwide presence – regardless of size and chamber capacity, all of the machines it provides fall under the class B category.
Thanks to a powerful vacuum pump, these hospital sterilizer machines are faster sterilizing the load inside their chamber, and can also treat more types of materials than less advanced models – making them the ideal choice for medical purposes.