Hospital autoclave. What is it and what does it do? Class B autoclaves.

The purpose of the hospital autoclave is to sterilize medical material using high-pressure steam and temperature.

In this way, the autoclave eliminates all microbial life, including spores in materials, surgical equipment, textiles and glass, except plastic. Therefore, the autoclave seeks the absence of toxic residue in sterilized material and equipment.

For the autoclave to function correctly and effectively, three essential parameters must be calculated: Temperature, Pressure, and Time.

For sterilization to be effective, it must reach a temperature of 121º to 134ºC with a pressure of 20-32 pounds/square inch (psi). Thus, the surgical instruments are subjected to high pressures and temperatures without boiling.

We present two models of autoclaves with some different features, but absolute effectiveness. The two models of steam autoclaves that we present below are class B autoclaves.

Class B autoclaves remove all air from the chamber using a vacuum pump. A great advantage of the class B autoclave is that it does not reuse distilled water in its process. With a Class B autoclave, any type of object can be sterilized; for example, porous materials, bagged materials, textiles, and hollow bodies, such as instruments, turbines, and cannulas.

Class B 8-liter autoclave.

We present the compact 8 liter autoclave, class B, therefore, it does not reuse distilled water in the sterilization process.

It has a USB and double safety lock. The door is enabled with an automatic locking system for maximum safety.

With 1500W of nominal power and 2.5L of distilled water tank capacity, this class B autoclave has a total chamber dimension of 170 x 320mm.

It comes with 2 stainless steel instrument trays, a tray base, a tray extraction handle, 2 drain hoses, and a door adjustment tool.

We present a second autoclave, with similar features, but more capacity.

Class B 29-liter autoclave

Like the previous autoclave we presented, this one is also a high-performance class B autoclave. It also has a USB port and double safety lock, but its shape is elongated, with a greater length that allows sterilizing instruments up to 600mm.

Its nominal power is higher than the 8L autoclave, it is 2500w, as well as the chamber dimensions which are 247 x 625mm.

It has three trays of different sizes each. The first is 185x570 mm, the second is 213x570 mm and the third is 227x570 mm.

It has 3 stainless steel instrument trays, a tray base, a tray extraction handle, 2 drain hoses, and a door adjustment tool.

Autoclave installation

When installing the autoclave, you must take into account some requirements of this device.

Firstly, you should consider that the sterilizer should be placed on a flat, level surface with a minimum load capacity of 60 Kg. To ensure proper air circulation, a free space of at least 10cm on the sides and 20cm on the top should be left around the appliance. Another condition is that the sterilizer must be located in an adequately ventilated enclosure. It is important not to install the sterilizer near sources of water and/or heat.

Finally, you should remember not to cover the air outlet grill of the condenser fan, nor block the side outlets.

Although class B autoclaves provide extra safety to the professional, we must not forget the use of chemical and biological indicators.