Steam

Question 1

What kind of water is used for the production of steam for sterilisation processess?

Answer 1

Purified water (De-ionised, distilled, sterile)
This has had organics, minerals and micro-organisms removed or filtered beforehand

Question 2

What is a Type N Steriliser?

Answer 2

Most basic type of steriliser
Heats water in the chamber
As it turns to steam it passively forces the air from the chamber
It must achieve a temperature of 134-137 degrees

Question 3

Type N Steriliser, cons?

Answer 3

Can leave pockets of air within the chamber
Can only process rigid steel/solid instruments
You cannot process wrapped instruments or channelled or lumened instruments
After the process the instrumentation has only been sterilised, it will not be sterile at the point of use
Not favourable for a high quality sterilisation process

Question 4

What is a Type B Steriliser’s process?

Answer 4

A Vacuum Capsule
1st step is to remove all the air from the chamber
It then fills the chamber with steam (as the air has been removed first, it creates a vacuum)
It must achieve the temperature of 134-137
It has a drying stage at the end to remove any extra moisture
It can penetrate wrappings of instruments and sterilise the instruments inside (can be stored as sterile in a suitable environment)
It can also process channelled and lumened instruments

Question 5

What is a Type S Sterilisers process?

Answer 5

Specialised piece of equipment
Sterilises for a specific purpose e.g. dental hand pieces
This also washes and lubricates hand pieces that are being processed as well as sterilising them
It has a vacuum cycle but does not process wrapped instruments

Question 6

What are common daily tests for steriliser equipment?

Answer 6

Checking that the door seals are intact and free from debris. Clean if necessary
Verify the chamber is free from damage, debris, contamination or instruments from previous cycles
Verify the condition of the load carrier
Fill and drain the feedwater reservoir each day
Drain the used water reservoir each day

Question 7

What daily tests have to be carried out in a Type B Steriliser?

Answer 7

A steam penetration test must be carried out using a test device such as a Bowie Dick test pack or a Helix

Question 8

What weekly tests have to be carried out in a Type B Steriliser?

Answer 8

An ‘Air Leakage Test’ must be ran
An ‘Air Detection Function Test’ (ADFT) must be ran
* Both these tests are machine cycles