Dear collegues,

I would know if there are a limit of packs weight to sterilise in steam sterilizer.
Thank you

Alberto Franceschini
Sterile production center
Ferrara
Italy

Dear Alberto,
The Dutch "Richtlijnen steriliseren en steriliteit" say the following:
Textile packs may weigh max. 6 kg. The weight of an instrumentset (without packaging material) may not be over 8,5 kg. Heavier instruments may only be sterilised if through validation is shown that the sterilizationprocess is effective by this load (DIN 58946).
Kind regards
Wim Renders

Complementary notes
The current recommended weights for sterile goods worldwide are:

• Instruments tray wrapped, should not exceed 8 kg
• Textile Packs wrapped should not weigh more than 6 kg
• Rigid Containers not more than 10 kg

Addition Note: Textiles packs
As Textiles have changed, the current recommendation is not necessarily appropriate today. Density depends not only on the weight but also on how the linen sheets are arranged and how tight they are wrapped. E.g., a sheet or gown could be pressed so tightly that sterilization and drying would be prevented. Another important point are water- repellent textiles, they may have to be divided by porous, less dense fabrics. The wrapper should not be so tight that the textiles are compressed. Always evaluate new configuration of your packs.

Note: Instrument trays
The recommended weight is 8 kg or less. Even if not a recommended practices, there are reasons when instrument sets do go above the recommended weight. If so, the following strategy should be observed.

1. Use larger tray in order to spread out the metal in an even way.
2. Make two layers of instruments. Distribute the metal mass, and separate the bottom layer from the top layer with a single layered towel.
3. Verify the sterilization efficiency and drying of the overweighed packs. Check with the sterilizer manufacturer may be the program can be adjusted.

Greetings Josy Holdener