High pressure steam sterilizerKey points for safe use: Practical manual for avoiding operational risks

1、 Environment and Equipment Preparation: Building a Strong Safety Foundation

ventilation and moisture-proof

The equipment should be placed in a well ventilated and dry area, away from flammable and explosive materials (such as alcohol, ether) and corrosive chemicals, with at least 1 meter of operating space reserved for emergency evacuation.

Case: A laboratory caused equipment damage due to a fire caused by steam leakage from alcohol stored next to a sterilizer.

Power and Line Safety

Select the appropriate power supply based on the equipment power (such as using 220V/16A two-phase plugs for 30-50L sterilization pots, and 380V three-phase plugs and grounding for high-power equipment) to avoid overloading. Regularly check the aging condition of the circuit to prevent the risk of electric shock.

Data: Electric shock accidents caused by aging circuits account for 32% of laboratory electrical accidents.

Equipment Inspection Checklist

Sealing system: Check the rubber ring of the cabin door for cracks, aging, and no sticky feeling when touched by hand.

Instrument calibration: When the pressure gauge is not pressurized, the pointer returns to zero, and the temperature gauge displays the same as the ambient temperature.

Safety valve: The valve core should be able to exhaust when lifted lightly, and the set value should be consistent with the rated pressure.

Waterway system: Add distilled water to the inner tank mark to avoid blockage of the pipeline by scale.

Standard: According to the "Safety Technical Supervision Regulations for Pressure Equipment", safety valves need to be calibrated once a year.

2、 Preparation and loading of items: ensuring sterilization effectiveness

Packaging and Liquid Handling

Use breathable packaging materials (such as medical paper plastic bags, cotton cloth), and the packaging should not be too tight, leaving 10% expansion space.

Liquid containers (such as triangular bottles) should have 1/3 empty volume, with loose bottle caps or breathable plugs to prevent boiling.

Case: A laboratory suffered equipment damage due to overfilling of liquid packaging and bottle bursting after sterilization.

Rules for placing items

Leave a 2-3cm gap between items to ensure steam circulation.

Place heavy objects (such as metal instruments) on the lower layer and light objects (such as culture medium) on the upper layer.

Do not block the exhaust port (such as the cold air discharge port at the bottom of the cabin).

Data: 45% of cases resulted in sterilization failure due to improper placement of items.

3、 Operation process: Classification refinement steps

Operation of exhaust sterilizer

Add water: Inject distilled water into the inner container until the mark is reached.

Exhaust cold air: Heat to 102 ℃ and close the exhaust valve after 3-5 minutes of continuous steam discharge.

Pressure holding: Raise the pressure to 103kPa (121 ℃) and time for 20 minutes (instrument) or 15 minutes (culture medium).

Pressure reduction: Turn off the heating and naturally reduce the pressure until the pressure gauge returns to zero before opening the cover.

Warning: Forced depressurization can cause liquid boiling or container rupture.

Pre vacuum sterilizer operation

Pre vacuum: Close the cabin door and start the vacuum pump until the vacuum gauge shows below -90kPa.

Steam injection: Raise the pressure to 138kPa (134 ℃) and hold for 4-6 minutes (dressing type).

Post vacuum drying: restart the vacuum pump to extract residual steam.

Advantages: Pre vacuum sterilization has higher efficiency and is suitable for dressings, endoscopes, etc.

4、 Safety Red Line: Absolutely Prohibited Operations

Prohibited sterilization items

Flammable materials (such as alcohol cotton balls, gasoline, plastic film).

Overloading (the volume of items does not exceed 2/3 of the cabin volume).

Consequence: Sterilization of flammable materials may cause explosions, and overloading can affect steam circulation.

Prohibited from operating under pressure

It is strictly prohibited to rotate the cabin door latch before the pressure gauge returns to zero.

Untrained personnel are prohibited from operating the equipment.

Case: An operator forcibly opened the lid before the pressure returned to zero, causing the cabin door to pop out and cause injury.

5、 Emergency response and maintenance: extending equipment lifespan

Emergency response

Overpressure alarm: Close the heating switch and steam valve, let it stand and naturally reduce the pressure, and check if the safety valve is blocked.

High temperature burns: Immediately rinse with flowing cold water for 15 minutes. Severe burns require medical attention.

Abnormal vibration of equipment: Stop the equipment and check if the center of gravity of the items is offset.

Daily maintenance and upkeep

Drainage cleaning: After each use, drain the remaining water from the inner tank and wipe the cabin with a soft cloth.

Rubber ring maintenance: Remove the rubber ring, rinse it with clean water, wipe it dry, and apply silicone grease to prevent aging.

Regular calibration: Contact metrology institutions annually to calibrate pressure and temperature gauges.

Long term disuse: Drain the accumulated water, store the rubber ring separately, disconnect the power supply and cover it with a dust cover.

Data: Regular maintenance can extend the lifespan of equipment to over 8 years.

VIHigh pressure steam sterilizerEffect verification and recording: Ensure sterilization reliability

Sterilization effect monitoring

Chemical indicator card: Place it in the center of the item, and if the color darkens (such as from yellow to blue) after sterilization, it is considered qualified.

Biological indicator: at least once a month, containing thermophilic fat loving Bacillus subtilis, with no growth confirmation and complete sterilization.

Operation record management

Record sterilization time, temperature, pressure, and item name and quantity.

Keep records of annual and regular inspections, and conduct a self inspection every 4-6 weeks.

Standard: According to the "Regulations on Safety Management of Medical Devices", records must be kept for at least 3 years.