{"id":1161,"date":"2014-12-31T07:25:35","date_gmt":"2014-12-31T07:25:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/priorclavena.wpengine.com\/?p=279"},"modified":"2020-01-31T20:17:38","modified_gmt":"2020-01-31T20:17:38","slug":"blogautoclaves-sterilization-solution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.priorclave.com\/en\/2014\/12\/31\/blogautoclaves-sterilization-solution\/","title":{"rendered":"Double-Door Pass-Through Autoclaves: A Sterilization Solution"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sadly, the Ebola epidemic has not waned in Africa, nor remained contained. It has made its way to US soil\u2014albeit with a very<\/em> limited number of incidents\u2014and is driving a fundamental reassessment of how medical waste is handled.<\/p>\n

The Ebola virus is essentially a string of genetic material wrapped in a protein jacket. It cannot survive a 1,500 degree scorching within an incinerator, or the prolonged, pressurized steam of an autoclave. To prevent the spread of the virus, all materials that come in contact with the infected patient and his\/her quarantined surroundings\u2014which averages 400 gallons of biohazardous waste each day for each Ebola patient\u2014must be sterilized or incinerated. But US regulations in many states prevent the burning of contaminated materials, as has been common practice in most hospitals dealing with the virus.<\/p>\n

As Dr. Thomas Ksiazek, a professor in the department of microbiology and immunology at the University of Texas Medical Branch, told the LA Times this past October: \u201cThere are other ways to deal with the waste\u2026 . The problem is most hospitals don\u2019t use it for most disposable items. They\u2019re quire happy to bag them up and send them to a regular medical disposal company.\u201d<\/p>\n

On October 16, in testimony before Congress, CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden explained that, \u201cThe Ebola virus itself is not particularly hardy. It\u2019s killed by bleach, by autoclaving, [and] by a variety of chemicals. \u2026 The severity of the infection is higher, so you want to be certain when you\u2019re getting rid of it\u201d<\/p>\n

Small double-door pass-through autoclaves<\/a> stationed within a patient\u2019s quarantined area are an ideal solution. These devices aren\u2019t only effective in sterilizing all materials that have been contaminated, but also create a sterile pathway out of the quarantined area, so that there is no risk of sterilized loads becoming recontaminated prior to disposal. Priorclave\u2019s recently released QCS 150\u00a0is a good example of what such an autoclave should offer:<\/p>\n