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| Typical Number in Hospital: 3 | Cost Bands: 4 | References: 2 |
Surgical instruments and some larger items of equipment can be sterilized in a special cabinet into which formalin vapour is introduced. This may be a passive system in which the formalin is poured into trays to evaporate slowly or it may be nebulized and blown on to the equipment. Large cabinet types exist into which a whole trolley can be wheeled, such as an anaesthetic machine, ventilator or baby incubator, and which are fitted with a flue to exhaust the excess vapour to the outside air.
The whole process takes several hours and some preparation is required beforehand. The method is not regarded as ideal since there is no guarantee of penetration of the whole equipment system. Examples of formalin sterilization cabinets are the Drager Aseptor and the Vickers formalin disinfection unit.
Content and Design Copyright 2000 Dr. Malcolm C Brown. See Title Page for more details