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The disinfection of any equipment that will be used in medical procedures is crucial. Some professionals recommend to sterilize tools with an Autoclave. That is a fact, but why are heat and alcohol used to disinfect medical equipment?
Protein denaturation
When heat and alcohol would be applied to medical equipment, the process known as protein denaturation would occur. This process works to kill any live bacteria, fungi or viruses because it will break down any protein found on the equipment, making sure that those harmful organisms will not be able to carry out their cellular functions after the process is completed.
Effective sterilizing agents
Sterilization is achieved when ethanol (or any type of rubbing alcohol) and heat would be put onto the surface of the medical tools.
Based on research, 70% of ethanol alone has been proven to be the most effective at killing microbes. As for heat alone, it is also a highly potent method used to control microbial growth.
Using an autoclave
One method of sterilization can be done using an autoclave. An autoclave is a large oven that would apply heat, and sometimes moisture to the equipment, killing any spores of fungi or bacteria that may have contaminated the tools.
Why do we need to sterilize medical equipment?
Is this step would be overlooked, or skipped, it would increase the chances and of infection due to the breach of host barriers. Especially when it comes to surgical tools, they have to be thoroughly disinfected, to ensure that no harmful elements would be on the equipment during the time of operation.
This is for the safety of both the patient and the medical staff that will be performing procedures. Using a combination of heat and alcohol would ensure that 100% sterilization would be achieved. For everybody’s benefit, it is always best to leave no stone unturned in the disinfecting process.
