Asepsis, antisepsis and methods of sterilization HEAT STERILIZATION

Moist Heat (121-134C)

• Dry saturated steam – autoclave=121-134deg C:15-20mins
• Boiling water/steam at atm pressure
• Hot water below boiling point
• AUTOCLAVE:
• i. 134 °C – 4min., for instruments without package
(unpackaged). 
• ii. 134 degrees – 12 min, packaged instruments.
• iii. 121 degrees – 20 min, for materials (tissues).
ASEPSIS • iv.  121 degrees - 30 mins, for plastics.
PREVENT an infection from entering a wound • The process involves boiling for a period (typically 20
FREEDOM from infection minutes) at atmospheric pressure, cooling,
GOAL: ELIMINATION of infection, not incubating for a day, boiling, cooling, incubating for a
STERILITY day, boiling, cooling, incubating for a day, and finally
Aseptic techniques boiling again.
AntiSEPSIS • The three incubation periods are to allow heat-
EXCLUSION and DESTRUCTION of harmful microbes in an resistant spores surviving the previous boiling period
organism to germinate to form the heat-sensitive vegetative
DESTRUCTION of microbes in a wound (growing) stage, which can be killed by the next
AntiSEPtic agents boiling step.
• antibacterial action and not render harmful influence •
• should not turn easily to pairs or gas. RADIATION STERILIZATION
• simple in application and cheap. • Electromagnetic radiation
1. MECHANICAL ANTISEPTICS • UV light
2. PHYSICAL ANTISEPTICS • Gamma rays
3. CHEMICAL ANTISEPTICS • U.V. light- Has limited sterilizing power
4. BIOLOGICAL ANTISEPTICS because of poor penetration into most
Sterilization materials. Generally used in irradiation of
DESTROYS all the existing forms of microorganisms, which air in certain areas eg. Operating Rooms
live on OBJECTS’ surfaces and deep inside and T.B. laboratories.
FREEDOM from viable form of microorganisms • Ionizing radiation- e.g. Gamma radiation:
  ABSOLUTE STATE, there are no degrees of sterility (ALL Source Cobalt60 has greater energy than
ORGANISMS DIE) U.V. light, therefore more effective. Used
PHYSICAL METHOD mainly in industrial facilities e.g.
• Thermal (heat) sterilization of disposable plastic syringes,
• Radiation gloves, specimens containers and Petri
• Filtration Dishes.
CHEMICAL METHOD •
• GASEoUS Filtration sterilization
HEAT STERILIZATION • removes microorganisms
Dry Heat (160-180 C) • Clarification and steriliztation of liquid and gas
• Red heat • Sieving, adsorption, trapping
• Flaming May be done under either negative or positive
• Incineration pressure. Best known example is the membrane filter made from
• Hot air oven cellulose acetate. Generally removes most bacteria but viruses and
• Dry heat -first method of sterilization, and is a longer some small bacteria e.g. Chlamydias & Mycoplasmas may pass
process than moist heat sterilization. With longer through. Thus filtration does not technically sterilize items but it is
exposure to lethal temperatures, the number of killed adequate for circumstances under which it is used.
microorganisms increases. has the advantage that it
can be used on powders and other heat-stable items
that are adversely affected by steam (e.g. it does not GASEOUS STERILIZATION
cause rusting of steel objects). • Heat sensitive materials
• Flaming[edit] • FORMALDEHYDE
• ETHYLENE OXIDE
• Flaming is done to loops and straight-wires in • CHEMICAL STERILIZATION: Useful for heat
microbiology labs. Leaving the loop in the flame of sensitive materials e.g plastics and lensed
a Bunsen burner or alcohol lamp until it glows red instruments endoscopes.
ensures that any infectious agent gets inactivated. • The concentration ranges are usually :
This is commonly used for small metal or glass • 800-1200 mg/L for ethylene oxide with
objects, but not for large objects Oper temp: 45-63C
• Incineration • 15-100 mg/L for formaldehyde with oper
temp: 70-75C
• Incineration is a waste treatment process that
involves the combustion of organic substances
contained in waste materials. It is used to sterilize
medical and other biohazardous waste before it is
discarded with non-hazardous waste.
• Hot air oven expose items to 160°C for atleast 2
hour.s It has electric element in the chamber as
source of heat plus a fan to circulate air for even
distribution of heat in chamber. Oven without fan is
dangerous.
• Used for Metals, Glassware, Ointment,
Oils, Waxes, Powders i.e. items that are lacking
water