Sterilization time is reduced with autoclave

PITTSBURGH — High-volume surgeons are avoiding the need for extra instrument sets by switching to autoclaves that require less than 10 minutes per cycle.

The company SciCan, based here, makes two models of autoclaves under the brand name of STATIM (stat for fast, IM for instrument management). The model 2000 has a 6-minute cycle, and the model 5000 has a 9-minute cycle. The larger model 5000 has a printer attachment that documents sterilization time, temperature and pressure.

Instruments are not loaded directly, but instead placed into a cassette that is loaded into the autoclave, said SciCan Medical Director James Taylor.

The steam is injected by two pinholes into this cassette, so the first instruments are exposed to steam first and not dry heat, he said. This allows the autoclave to bring the temperature up quickly and sterilize rapidly.

The cassette remains closed when removed, which allows technicians to bring the sterile instruments in an unexposed state directly to the sterile field.

Mr. Taylor said the rapid turnaround helps high-volume refractive centers keep up with patient flow. STATIM allows high-volume refractive surgeons or surgical centers to conduct more procedures with fewer instruments, Mr. Taylor said.

Louis E. Probst, MD, uses the STATIM autoclaves at his Windsor, Canada, practices, which are associated with TLC The Laser Center.

He uses two sets of instruments and the autoclaves, and he schedules 12 minutes for each bilateral refractive patient. Because the autoclave time is less than the surgical time, he said he relies on two instrument sets.

“Really it’s just a matter of efficient process,” he said. “The STATIM is quick and convenient. It can be right in the surgery room. The cassette is nice because you can load everything into the cassette and then into the machine, unlike the other autoclaves, where you have to load the instruments inside.”

He also modifies his procedure to autoclave instruments in a sterile bag wrapping, which can then be taken to the surgical field.

For Your Information:

Louis E. Probst, MD, can be reached at 3200 Deziel Drive, Ste. 208, Windsor, Ontario N8W 5K8, Canada; +(1) 519-646-6272; fax: +(1) 519-646-6248. Dr. Probst has no direct financial interest in any of the products mentioned in this article, nor is he a paid consultant for any companies mentioned.

SciCan is located at 2002 Smallman St., Pittsburgh, PA 15222 U.S.A.; +(1) 412-281-6780; fax: +(1) 412-281-6841.