INFECION CONTROL 13

TYPES OF STERILIZERS

Gravity displacement sterilizer  The gravity (or “downward”) displacement sterilizer uses the principle that air is heavier than steam. Within the sterilizer there is an inner chamber where goods are loaded and an outer jacket type chamber that ejects steam forcefully into it. Any air in the inner chamber blocks the passage of pressurized steam to the surface of the goods and thus prevents sterilization. All the air must be removed because every surface of the supplies must be exposed to the pressurized steam to ensure sterilization. Therefore, the sterilizer is constructed in such a way that air is pushed downward by gravity (hence the name “gravity displacement sterilizer”).

Prevacuum sterilizer  The prevacuum sterilizer does not rely on gravity to remove air from the inner chamber. Instead, the air is pulled out of the chamber, which creates a vacuum in the chamber. Steam is injected into the chamber to replace the air. This type of sterilizer offers greater steam penetration in a shorter time than the gravity displacement sterilizer.

Flash sterilizer  The flash sterilizer has traditionally been used in the operating room and in other areas of the hospital to quickly sterilize items that are unwrapped. It has been common practice to flash sterilize any instrument that had become contaminated during surgery.

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