Hospitals are prone to fungus, viruses, and dangerous bacteria that can cause extremely serious infections and sometimes even fatal complications. In addition, exposure to microorganisms on various medical tools and surfaces in healthcare settings can lead to infection in both patients and healthcare staff. So, adequate disinfection and sterilizing practices can help prevent healthcare-associated illnesses.

Minimally invasive and highly invasive procedures rely on clean, sanitized equipment to be a success, whether performed in a hospital or on an outpatient basis. That’s why the cleaning and sterilizing of medical equipment is monitor and assess regularly. This is done as part of hospital infection control measures to ensure that the process is as safe as possible. Moreover, the cleanliness and sterility of medical devices depend on various disinfection and sterilizing instruments, from surgeons to dentists. Some of the instruments use in hospitals or clinical settings are named as Low-Temperature Plasma Sterilizer, ETO Sterilizer, Washer Disinfector, etc.

Benefits of sterilizing medical equipment

Most invasive procedures involve contact between a patient’s mucous membranes or sterile tissue and a surgical instrument. A significant risk of these procedures is introducing pathogenic microbes, potentially resulting in some severe infection. When surgical equipment is not properly disinfected or sanitized, there could be an increased risk of serious infections arising since the host barrier has been breached. Germs must be wiped out completely in order to keep patients and healthcare personnel safe. Despite the fact that there are many more methods, most clinical settings use low-temperature plasma sterilizers, ETO sterilizers, and washer-disinfectors to disinfect and sterilize medical or surgical equipment. 

Here, we summarize some of the benefits of using sterilizers and disinfectors;

Reliable and safe – Sterilizers and disinfectors are the only guaranteed ways to eliminate the risk of spreading bacterial or viral infections from one person to another in a medical facility. Up to nearly 100 %, microbial elimination is possible using these sanitizing and disinfecting machines. Therefore, both patients and health workers will have peace of mind knowing they are always as safe from contaminants as possible.

Sterilize in bulk – The sterilizers and disinfectors are the perfect choices for medical facilities of all sizes. Every medical professional, from small dental offices to large hospitals, needs large amounts of equipment and tools sterilized quickly. No matter the size of the facility, sterilizers and disinfectors will make sterilization of medical equipment quick, easy, and effective.

Prevent double surgeries – All surgeries require multiple sterilizations and disinfection instruments. A serious infection may cause due to the use of even a single instrument or tool that is not properly sterilize. In many cases, the infection would not become apparent until much later in the course of treatment. Therefore, additional medical care and even a second surgery may be require to ensure the patient’s well-being in this situation. That’s why using adequately sanitized and disinfected tools are essential.

Apart from this, some of the other benefits of sterilized medical equipment are –

. It eliminates dirt, foreign particles, blood, and pus that could otherwise lead to some severe infection for the next patient requiring surgery when the practitioner uses the same instrument.

. It decreases bioburden, i.e., the number of non-sterilized bacterial forms living on a surface.

. Prevents the corrosion of expensive and highly-precise tools with elegant pivots and hinges.

. It disposes of the breeding ground for the surviving germs.

. It ensures the safe transport of medical equipment needing to be packed and assembled for sterilization or disinfection.

How can one sterilize medical equipment?

To prevent healthcare-associated infections (i.e., HAIs) from spreading, all hospitals and clinics must have a plan of action. The germ warfare strategy of the hospitals and clinics consists of a few processes done in this precise order –

Cleaning – Cleaning must always come before any high-level sterilization or disinfection.

Disinfecting – This is the second step and can involve using liquid chemicals that are used to kill non-spore-forming bacteria from this medical equipment. 

The role of the washer-disinfector here is to clean and disinfect surgical tools and instruments.

Sterilizing – You can employ various sterilization methods to kill disease-causing microorganisms and eradicate transmissible agents, like bacteria and spores. The most commonly utilized sterilizers in healthcare settings are low-temperature plasma sterilizers and ETO sterilizers.

The level of sterilization or disinfection depends on how you intend to use medical equipment. Depending on the equipment’s classification, it may require high-level sterilization, low-level disinfection, or high-level disinfection.

Critical objects – Examples of these objects include surgical instruments that come in contact with sterile tissue.

Semicritical objects – Examples of these objects include endoscopes that come in contact with mucous membranes.

Noncritical objects – Examples of these objects include stethoscopes that come in contact with only intact skin.

So, when choosing the sterilization or disinfection process, it is necessary to consider the use of the equipment. Sterilization and disinfection, when correctly done, can ensure the safe use of non-invasive and invasive medical devices and tools.

When it comes to choosing sterilization and disinfection equipment for your institution, there are several options available. This is why training and education of staff on various sterilization or disinfection procedures and equipment like low-temperature plasma sterilizer, ETO sterilizer, and washer-disinfector is the best way to go.

If you’re still unsure about the sterilizer or disinfector instrument to employ in your medical or healthcare facility, feel free to contact our experts at Genist Technocracy.  Let our expert team assist you in finding the right fit for your sterilization and disinfection requirements.