What are the Advantages and disadvantages of heat sterilization on medical equipment?

Answer 1

They are different sterilization methods for medical instruments, consumables, devices and Implantable devices. Depending on the nature of the product to sterilize is the method used.
Sterilization can be achieved through application of heat, chemicals, irradiation, high Pressure or filtration.
Heat Sterilization is divided in two categories:

• Dry Heat Sterilization
• Moist Heat sterilization

Dry heat sterilization of an article is one of the earliest forms of sterilization practiced. Dry heat, as the name indicates, utilizes hot air that is either free from water vapour, or has very little of it, and where this moisture plays a minimal or no role in the process of sterilization.

Methods Used:

• Hot air oven
• Incineration or Burning
  
• Flamming
  
• Radiation
• Microwave

The most used in the medical field is "Hot air Oven"

Moist Heat Sterilization as the name indicates, utilizes hot air that is heavily laden with water vapour and where this moisture plays the most important role in the process of sterilization.

Methods Used:

• Water bath
• Pasteurization (milk)
• Boilling
• Steam Sterilizer
• Autoclave

The most used in Medical Field is "Autoclave"

Hot Air Oven Advantages and Disadvantages.

They do not require water and there is not much pressure build up within the oven, unlike an autoclave, making them safer to work with. This also makes them more suitable to be used in a laboratory environment. They are much smaller than autoclaves but can still be as effective. They can be more rapid than an autoclave and higher temperatures can be reached compared to other means. As they use dry heat instead of moist heat, some organisms like prions, may not be killed by them every time.

Autoclave Advantages and Disadvantages.

Moist heat coagulates the proteins in any organism and this is aided by the water vapour that has a very high penetrating property, leading to their death. It also causes oxidative free radical damage This can even, at high enough temperatures (vide:Autoclave), kill prions.
These are widely used to sterilize articles that can withstand high temperatures and not get burnt, like glassware and powders. Linen gets burnt and surgical sharps lose their sharpness.

Hope this answer will usefully.

surMedical.com Team n