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S T E R I L I Z A T I O N
A S S U R -
parameters. What they don't realize is that the printouts always note what
the sterilizer was set at, so the top of load receipts appear correct to the
untrained eye, even if the load failed.
Read the full report — the printouts provide a minute-by-minute
breakdown of what's happening in cycles — to ensure the correct
temperature was reached for the entire exposure time at the appropriate pressure. The "exposure" note on the cycle report is where the
sterilization phase starts; the "exhaust" note is where steam is
exhausted from the chamber and sterilization ends. For example, if
you set your sterilizer for 4 minutes at 270°F, and exposure started at
3:28 p.m., the report should show 270°F was reached for the entire 4
minutes of the exposure phase, which
ends at 3:32 p.m.
Failing to reach the
required temperature
at any point results in
an invalid cycle, and
requires rewrapping
and rerunning the
entire load with new
chemical indicators
placed.
J A N U A R Y 2013 | O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
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