The Cycle of Operation
For a high-vacuum/high-pressure sterilizer, this
can be summarized as follows:
After
loading the chamber and closing the door. The stages of autoclaving are:
• Stage-1
Pre-vacuum—Air removal. The air is removed from the chamber by a vacuum
pump and controlled steam pulsations. The vacuum achieved should be in the
order of 0.5 mm Hg absolute (0.066 to 0.132 kPa).
• Stage-2
Sterilization—Hold period at operating temperature. Steam is admitted to
the chamber and when all parts of the load have reached a temperature of 134
degree C this is maintained for 3.5 minutes
• Stage-3
Drying—Achieved by an adequate post vacuum, checked periodically by a
test pack of towels which when removed from the sterilizer, unfolded and
allowed to cool are not damp
• Stage-4
Breaking the vacuum—Air replacement. This should be completed
within 3 minutes, through a glass fiber or ceramic type filter
The
chamber is unloaded and the packs marked with the batch number of that
particular load. Preset trays should have a water repellent or plastic dust
cover applied if they are to be stored for more than a few hours. This cover
should be applied only after the trays have cooled off.
The
recommended combination of time and temperature varies, and for instruments
which can withstand moist heat under pressure the following cycles are
recommended:
• 134°C
(30 lb/in2) for a hold time of
3 minutes
• 121°C (15 lb/in2) for a hold time of 15 minutes.
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