Here’s a problem that might occur at any moment during bio-medical waste removal West Palm: Getting a positive test on the presence of spores in your autoclave. When this happens, you can be 100% sure that your sterilizing machine isn’t really doing any sterilization. That can be very bad for business, especially if you are using the autoclave to neuter your sharps and reuse them.
Don’t panic just yet, the problem can be solved.
First, there are two reasons for this. Either this is a user error, or it can be a mechanical malfunction. Obviously, the second scenario is much worse, but there are still a couple of things you can do if you find your autoclave to be positive for biological spores.
What to do if Your Autoclave Has Spores?
• Cease using the autoclave
Well, the first logical step you can and should undertake when you find out that there are biological spores inside your autoclave and that it is not doing much in terms of sterilizing either your medical waste or your medical equipment, is to completely stop using it right away.
Don’t use the autoclave again until you have a technician give you the green light for it.
• Use only instruments that were sterilized prior to the failed test
Do not use any medical instruments that were sterilized after the last test on spores. Unless you can’t 100% verify that something was sterilized properly, the safest thing you can do is not use that instrument at all.
• Contact the proper agency
You should contact a proper regulatory bio-medical waste removal agency and inform them about your situation. You should have a plan for autoclave malfunctions, so relate it to the agency. Document everything you do and keep the file for at least 2 years.
• Do another spore test
Maybe you just got the test wrong. Do another one. If the second test does not confirm the existence of spores in your autoclave, then it is safe to continue using the machine again.
You should, however, do another sterilization cycle for anything that you’ve sterilized after the last test you performed.
• If the 2nd test fails
If the repeated test fails, then that means you have to repair the autoclave. Don’t worry, most models are easy to repair. You can search the Internet for a brand and model number (look at the manufacturer’s website for troubleshooting), or you can use the manual if you got it with the machine (hopefully you kept it). In some cases, cleaning the air jet valve should suffice.
When you have repaired the autoclave, you should run 3 consecutive spore tests. If the machine passes them all, you can continue using it for bio-medical waste removal. Of course, you will have to re-sterilize anything you used since the last passed spore test.
Bottom Line
When it comes to the health care industry and bio-medical waste removal West Palm, a malfunctioning autoclave is often worse than not having one at all. This is why you must make sure that it is operating correctly and that it does not test positive for spores.
