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6
Pre-sterilization Cleaning and Disinfection of
Instruments and their Loading into the Device
Caution!
Instruments should not be loaded into the autoclave to be
sterilized unless Steam Sterilization is instructed in their User
Manual. The instructed Steam Sterilization Program should be
verified against the programs available in this autoclave.
Caution!
Never use the autoclave to sterilize corrosive products (acids,
bases, or phenols) volatile compounds or solutions (ethanol,
methanol or chloroform), or radioactive substances.
The most important stage begins with removing debris by cleaning and rinsing.
Effective cleaning is affected by several factors: water quality, type,
concentration and quality of a cleaner, effective washing method, and
adequate rinsing and drying.
Cleaning dried blood is especially difficult because it flows and dries in difficult-
to-clean locations. It shall be washed away. Mechanically scrubbing, high pH
detergents, enzymatic solutions, and water spray at high pressure will clean
this contamination.
Note:
Consult the Medical Device manufacturer relating adequate and most
effective cleaning method and cleaning agents.
Instruments which are composed of several components shall be dismantled.
Disinfection
is the next step. It is important for safe handling. There are
various methods and means for disinfection like soaking in liquid chemical
disinfectants or hot water disinfection.
Packaging.
The target in packing medical items is to assure that the contained
goods are sterile and maintaining them sterile till opening the package.
There are various methods and techniques used in preparation and packaging
of surgical instruments.
Check the instructions of the item manufacturer as to the proper procedure for
cleaning and sterilizing each item. The item manufacture
r’s instructions always
supersede any other instructions.
Clean instruments immediately after use to remove any residue. It is recommended
that all instruments be ultrasonically cleaned using Tuttnauer’s Clean & Simple
enzymatic cleaning tablets or other suitable solution.
After cleaning, rinse instruments under tap water for 30 seconds and pat or air dry
to remove residual minerals. If your tap water has a high mineral content, then rinse
a second time in a bath of distilled water to remove minerals and pat dry.
