Question

You working on a tender for replacing old bulk autoclaves with new ones in various hospitals. As a clinical engineer you are tasked to visit the sites and make drawings on current and proposed designs. What points should be noted on this site visits?

Answer 1

Autoclaves are used for sterilizing the equipment in laboratories and by the term bulk autoclave it means, large autoclaves to sterilize huge quantity of loads as in the case of hospitals. There is a line of bulk autoclaves also available for the treatment of wastes. Since the question here has clearly given a mention to the autoclave for the hospitals, we can infer that it is most likely to be bulk sterilizer autoclave. Here there is also a mention that the purchase consideration is for the replacement of old ones. So, as an engineer we are supposed to start from the inspection of the old ones. The points to be noted while inspecting the old ones are: its make, capacity, specification, technology used, performance and the grounds for replacement. Also needs to check with the customer the reason for replacement and their expectation from the new one. Since there are many model available in the market with varying capacity, specification and price, getting an idea about what the customer is looking for, is a must.

Following are the points to be noted while visiting the sites and interacting with customers:

• The floor space available- the size and capacity of the autoclave depends on the available space
• the load capacity- the size of the autoclave also depends on the load quantity. Autoclaves ranging from 2 cubic feet to 200 cubic feet chamber size are available in the market. if the size preferred is large can always think of an option of customization
• Types of loads running into the autoclave- depending on the type of load, ie, glassware, metalware, cloth etc, the process and the sterilization cycle will differ
• the source of steam generation- this depends on the voltage capacity in the hospital
• The water source and the quality of water- the sterilization process will get affected by the quality of water, ie, hard or soft, presence of mineral, chlorine etc
• Type of drainage arrangement- how the water will drain out and which channel to be used to route it out so that no harm is made to the environment
• Check with the possibilities of saving water and energy. Traditional autoclaves consume huge amount of water and energy. See for the possibilities of saving both water and energy to contribute our bit to environment sustainability
• Safety aspects- In autoclaves, materials are sterilized using saturated steam under pressure. Due to the usage of steam under high pressure and high temperature, there is always a risk for injury. Check for trained people in the hospitals to operate on autoclaves or see for the provisions to train people with the manufacturers to operate the machienery
• Have a clear discussion with the customer on the price aspects. Ultimately, this is very important in deciding the make, technology, capacity etc before making the purchase and arriving at a final decision