Product Manual

23
6 PREPARATION BEFORE STERILIZATION
The purpose of packaging and wrapping items for sterilization is to provide an
effective barrier against contamination during storage, once the items have
been sterilized.
VERY IMPORTANT!
When sterilizing cotton wool or pads, it is essential to wrap them in paper or
cotton bags in order to prevent the multi-purpose valve and the autoclave
openings from becoming clogged with remnants of the material.
Packaging and wrapping materials should be approved for use in a steam
sterilizer and permit the removal of air and penetration of the steam during the
sterilization process.
The basic principle of determining the size, mass and contents of instrument
and hollowware packs is that the contents are sterile and dry immediately upon
completion of the drying cycle.
Instruments to be sterilized must be clean and free from any residual matter,
such as debris, blood, pads or any other material. Such substances may cause
damage to the instruments themselves or the sterilizer.
1. Clean instruments immediately after use. It is recommended that
instruments be ultrasonically cleaned in a Tuttnauer Clean and Simple
Ultrasonic Cleaner, using Tuttnauer Clean and Simple enzymatic
cleaning solution.
2. After ultrasonic cleaning, rinse under tap water for 30 seconds and pat dry
to remove residual minerals. If your tap water has a high mineral content,
rinse a second time in a bath of distilled water and pat dry.
3. Launder textile wraps prior to reuse, but do not use bleach.
4. Follow the instrument manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning and
lubricating instruments.
5. Be sure that instruments of dissimilar metal (stainless steel, carbon steel,
etc.) are separated. Carbon steel instruments should be bagged or placed
on autoclavable towels and not directly on stainless steel trays. (Mixing
will result in the oxidation of these metals).
6. Load items within the boundaries of the tray so that they do not touch the
chamber walls, or fall off when the tray is inserted into the autoclave. The
chamber walls are very hot; items that come into contact with the wall can
be damaged
7. Check the manufacture’s instructions as to the proper procedure for
sterilizing each item. The instrument manufacturer can give specific
information on proper sterilization temperature and sterilization time for
any item.
8. Place a sterilization indicator in each tray or inside each wrapped pack.
9. When using a paper / plastic bag, the plastic side should always be down.
Use single-use wraps once only and discard after use.
10. Verify that the packaging method is in accordance with good practice
approach and the packaging materials are in accordance with the
applicable standards (e.g. EN868 series).