In hospitals and clinics, the autoclave is undoubtedly one of the most important equipment. Autoclaves are, after all, what sterilises other medical or dental instruments for safety. Without them, apparatuses like biopsy forceps, dental probes, or scalpels would be contaminated with bacteria and become unsafe for use.
Unfortunately, care and maintenance for these invaluable machineries can be easily neglected. Frequent neglect of autoclave maintenance is often the cause of incessant and expensive repairs. To avoid the trap of “neglect-and-costly-repairs” we came up with some helpful maintenance practices any establishment can apply to their autoclaves in a daily, weekly, and monthly manner.
Maintenance Practice
Step 1) Make sure that the equipment scheduled for sterilisation is clean of debris such as organic tissue and blood to avoid damaging the autoclave.
Step 2) Check the door gasket and look for signs of excessive cracking or wear. Clean the gasket and mating surface using a sponge or cloth dipped in a mild detergent solution.
Step 3) Don’t overload the steriliser trays whenever you’re running a sterilisation cycle. Not only will it cause inadequate sterilisation and drying, you might also damage the autoclave, which is one of the various equipment that health care professionals need for their clinics.
Maintenance can make a huge difference for equipment, especially for autoclave maintenance. It lengthens the machine’s life and fixes its functionalities. As a result, the autoclave helps its users do better, enabling the users to take better care of their patients, and the patients leave the hospital or clinic feeling better.
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