EFHSS Questions and Answers - Question Q00686

Dear Expert,

What is the procedure to sterilize gauze or non-woven? do i need to put it in auto-clave? how long. can I put 25 sheets all at once?

thank you,
Robertson

I read an answer from the forum that dry sterilization is not advisable. So how do we sterilize gauze, cottons before an operation?
thank you

Dear

No matter where medical devices are sterilized, there are universal procedures that should be followed to ensure that the items are safe to use. Surgical Supplies such as dressing, cotton balls and similar items should be individually packaged (or in some usable quantitiy per individual package per use and they should be steam sterilized.
If you have questions about packaging material please look at our Education page, under "Sterilization Basics" you find the article; Packaging of Sterile Products, by Jan Huys.

Kind regards
Josy Holdener

dear all, dry heat is not advisable, why? i think we have to review this matter. anybody agrees?

Dear Mousa,

Dry heat is less efficient than wet heat sterilization and requires longer times and/or higher temperatures. The specific times and temperatures must be determined for each type of material being sterilized. Generous safety factors are usually added to allow for the variables that can influence the efficiency of this method of sterilization. The moisture of the sterilization environment as well as the moisture history of organisms prior to heat exposure appear to affect the efficiency of dry heat sterilization.
The advantage of wet heat is a better heat transfer to and into the cell resulting in overall shorter exposure time and lower temperature. Steam sterilization uses pressurized steam at 121-134° C. This type of heat kills all microbial cells including spores, which are normally heat resistant. In order to accomplish the same effect with dry heat in an oven, the temperature needs to be increased to 160-170° C (320-338$deg; F) for periods of 2 to 4 hours.
Taking all the above-mentioned into account, one may conclude that longer exposure time and high temperature (in dry heat) may contribute to instruments' amortization and increase turnover of materials in CSSD.

Regards,
Yaffa Raz

dear all, mainly yafa, thanks for 2 replayed, but what i mean of steralizinge stainless steel instrument only, and still we are usinge this for a longe time and no problems and no rust and deposits on instrument. other divices sure autoclavinge is better.