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or placed on autoclavable towels and not directly on stainless steel
trays (mixing will result in damage to the instruments or trays from the
electrolysis of these materials).
7.
Load items within the boundaries of the tray so that they do not touch
the chamber walls or fall off when the tray is moved. Items should not
be allowed to touch the walls of the Chamber as the hot metal can
damage the item.
8.
Do not overload the Sterilizer trays. Overloading will inhibit
sterilization and produce poor drying results.
9.
Items must be sterilized in an open position. Surfaces that are hidden
because the item is in a closed position will not be exposed to the
steam and will not be sterilized.
10.
Make sure that all instruments remain apart during the sterilization
cycle. Surfaces that are hidden because items are covering other items
will not be exposed to the steam and will not be sterilized.
11.
Disassemble or sufficiently loosen multiple-part instruments prior to
packaging to permit the sterilizing agent to come into contact with all
parts of the instrument.
12.
Verify that packaging methods are in accordance with the good
practice approach and the packaging materials used are in agreement
with applicable standards.
13.
Tilt on edge items prone to entrap air and moisture, e.g., hollowware,
so that only minimal resistance to removal of air, the passage of steam
and condensate will be met.
14.
Allow approximately
1” (2.5 cm) between trays to permit steam
circulation.
15.
Wrapped instruments should be placed in material which will allow
steam penetration and promote drying, such as autoclave bag,
autoclave paper, or muslin towels.
16.
When using a paper / plastic bag, the plastic side should always be up.
17.
Do not stack pouches. It is recommended that a pouch rack such as
the
Tuttnauer
Pouch Rack
be used to ensure proper steam
penetration and adequate drying. Surfaces that are hidden because the
items are being stacked will not be exposed to the steam and will not
be sterilized.
