Review of Historical Development of Autoclave towards healthcare sector

Subject Area: Electrical Engineering

Autoclave is a machine used to carry out industrial and scientific processes requiring elevated temperature and pressure in relation to ambient pressure and/or temperature. The name autoclave indicates a self-closing vessel with internal pressure sealing its joints, but many autoclaves are kept closed by external mechanical means.One of the major problems confronting healthcare professionals is the control of pathogenic organisms. This is because microorganisms are present in our environment and may contaminate healthcare instruments from time to time. An autoclave was designed and constructed to sterilize materials/items used in such healthcare institutions. The steam digester, a prototype of the autoclave that is better known now as a pressure cooker, was invented by French-born physicist Denis Papin in 1679. It wasn't until 1879 that the French microbiologist Charles Chamberland created a new version called the autoclave to be used in medical applications. Most healthcare facilities, however, have medium or large autoclave machines in their Sterile Processing Department (SPD) which can process 15-20 trays of instruments per cycle or even up to 625 lbs of instruments per cycle depending on size. This research presented an overview of autoclave, the types, and applications, working principles and improvement in the system over the past decades. The findings showed that maintaining a temperature of 121° C for at least 30 minutes by using saturated steam under at least 15 psi of pressure is vital to maximize the efficiency o autoclave during sanitization of tools.