Specifications

7. PREPARING THE MATERIAL
37
PREPARING THE
MATERIAL
INTRODUCTION
The sterilization process can be considered effective, reliable and repeatable so long as the
material is suitably treated first and then correctly arranged in the sterilization chamber in an
orderly manner.
In fact, it should be emphasized that organic residues or deposits of substances used in
medical practice are the inevitable receptacles of microorganisms and may obstruct contact
between the steam and the walls of the instrument, deactivating, at least locally, the lethal
process that sterilization normally provides.
On the other hand, an incorrect arrangement of the load can make the circulation and/or
penetration of the steam into the material difficult and sometimes impossible with the
imaginable consequences. Even the drying process can be strongly influenced by this factor.
For this reason, below we provide some basic
suggestions regarding these aspects, leaving
the user to study the subject further in the most suitable way.
TREATING THE
MATERIAL
BEFORE
STERILIZATION
First of all, it should be recalled that, when handling and managing contaminated material, it
is a good idea to take the following precautions:
– Wear rubber gloves of adequate thickness;
– Clean your gloved hands with a germicide detergent;
– Always carry the instruments on a tray.
– Never carry them in your hands;
– Protect your hands from contact with any sharp points or edges; this will avoid the risk of
contracting a dangerous infection;
– Immediately remove any article that does not need to be sterilized or that is not capable of
withstanding the process;
– Carefully wash your still gloved hands when done handling non-sterile material.
All materials and/or instruments to be sterilized must be perfectly clean, without any type of
residue (deposits of organic/inorganic material, fragments of paper, cotton/gauze pads, lime,
etc.).
NOTE
I
N ADDITION TO CAUSING PROBLEMS DURING STERILIZATION, THE FAILURE TO CLEAN
AND REMOVE RESIDUE CAN DAMAGE
THE INSTRUMENTS AND/OR THE STERILIZER,
ITSELF
.
An effective cleaning
consists of the following:
1. Rinse the instruments under running water immediately
after use;
2. Separate metal instruments by type of material (carbon steel, stainless steel, brass,
aluminum, chromium, etc.), to avoid electrolytic oxidation-reduction;
3. Wash in an ultrasound cleaner using a mixture of water and germicidal solution, carefully
following the manufacturer's recommendations.
4. For best results, use a detergent specifically designed for ultrasound washing, with a
neutral pH.
NOTE
S
OLUTIONS CONTAINING PHENOLS OR QUATERNARY AMMONIA COMPOUNDS CAN CAUSE
CORROSION ON INSTRUMENTS AND THE METAL PARTS OF ULTRASOUND DEVICES
.
5. After washing, carefully rinse the instruments and make sure that residues have been
completely eliminated
; if necessary, repeat the washing cycle or clean manually.
NOTE
T
O AVOID THE FORMATION OF LIME SPOTS, RINSE WITH DEIONIZED OR DISTILLED WATER,
IF POSSIBLE
. WHENEVER VERY HARD TAP WATER IS USED, WE RECOMMEND ALWAYS
DRYING THE INSTRUMENTS
.