How to Clean Medical Instruments Using UV
Infectious microbes cover nearly everything you come into contact with on a daily basis. The surface of your skin and mucous membranes protect you from internal exposure to the disease-causing varieties, which may cause staph infections and other life-threatening conditions. One of the most powerful methods of sterilizing any medical instrument that may penetrate the skin is through the use of ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light used for sterilizing medical equipment is composed of light frequencies in the C band of the ultraviolet spectrum, otherwise known as UV-C. Sterilizing equipment is simple, but all surfaces must be exposed to the UV-C light for a specific amount of time.
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Things You'll Need
- UV-C light fixture or UV-C light wand sanitizer
- Enclosure sized to the length of your UV-C light fixture and instrument tray
- Nearby wall outlet
- Tray
- 2 pieces laundered medical sheeting
- Sterile medical exam gloves
Instructions
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Hang your UV-C light fixture in your chosen enclosure so the UV-C lamp is positioned no more than 1 foot above the surface of a tabletop or other level bench location. The lamp fixture may be hung using metal wire or chain, but don't use any fibrous material such as string or rope, since bacteria can colonize in these surfaces.
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Stretch the lamp's power cord to the outside of the enclosure and plug in to the nearest wall outlet.
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Place one clean, sanitized medical sheet over a tray sized to contain all your medical instruments, permitting at least 1/2 inch of space between all instruments.
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4
Place each instrument onto the tray lined with the sheet and set the UV-C lamp, with enclosure, over the tray. Turn on the lamp; keep instruments under the light for 15 minutes.
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Put on a pair of sterile latex medical gloves; place your gloved hands into the enclosure and rotate each medical instrument to expose the other sides to the UV-C light. Allow another 15 minutes of exposure to the light.
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Turn off the UV-C lamp and then remove the instrument tray from the enclosure. Before removing from the enclosure, unfold another clean, laundered medical sheet and lay it over top your instruments so that the two combined sheets prevent air circulation around the instruments, avoiding re-contamination.
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Tips & Warnings
It is advisable that, if you are going to be sanitizing with UV-C lighting regularly and in an actual medical office, you consider purchasing a combination lamp and enclosure unit designed specifically for the medical environment. Examples of these devices are: Paragon Pilar UV Sterilizer, Guotong UV Sterilizing Unit, any UV sterilization device made with medical-grade stainless steel.
Ultraviolet light is harmful to skin and eyes. Blindness results within seconds when looking directly at a UV-C lamp. Never let UV-C light come into contact with eyes or skin, or serious injury will certainly result. Always keep a UV-C lamp hidden from your eyes by using an enclosure, which can be as simple as a cardboard box (medical-grade stainless steel is required when using for public medical services). Never use UV-C alone when sterilizing instruments for internal surgery. Use a standard medical autoclave unit for primary sterilization and UV-C lamps to maintain the sterility until the instruments are used.
