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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