Autoclaving handpieces, attachments and motors
It's hard not to be ambivalent about autoclaving. On the one hand, it is necessary to prevent the spread of disease. On the other hand, it makes work for us, but in the end, it makes our work so much harder. We have been seeing some frequent autoclave related problems, and we just wanted to share.
All handpieces and motors which are designed to be autoclaved should be autoclaved at NO MORE than 135deg C (275deg F). Normal spoor testing will not tell you if the temp is too high. If you see that "cooked look" in a customer's handpieces, suggest he/she get their autoclave checked for Hi temp, or you can get a LAG thermometer which registers the maximum temp and test it yourself. (For those who are interested that is available from RPI part number RPT113)
- Moisture is always a killer in handpieces. We are seeing a large number of implant motors and surgical handpieces where water is running out when we take them apart. Autoclaves should have a dry cycle where the instruments are left long enough to dry out as they cool down. We have heard of people taking things out of the autoclave and running them under the faucet to cool them down so they can use them. Also, when using sterile-pouches, we think the paper side should always be facing up to improve drying. This is up for debate however. More than one autoclave manufacturer states in their manual that the paper side should be down. Now, I do not know what they base their recommendations on, but I have seen so many autoclave bags come out of the autoclave plastic face up with little drops of water condensed on the inside of the plastic that I cannot imagine there is a good reason not to put the paper side up.
- In the case of surgical implant motors, they always come with a sterilization plug that keeps moisture from getting into the motor through the end where the attachment goes on. They should never be autoclaved without this plug. Some also have a cap for the connector which also should be used to reduce corrosion of the connector pins. If there is no cover for the connector, it is necessary to maintain the connector by scrubbing the connector pins with a soft brush and alcohol.
- Proper lubrication is also essential to surviving the autoclave process. If you see handpieces come back with that telltale black powder inside, then they are not lubricating enough. If they have that amber coating that looks like varnish, then they are leaving too much oil, and they need to blow them out longer. If they have a machine to do this like an Assistina or a Quattro Care, then these problems mean they need to have their machine checked. If they lubricate manually, they should have a device to blow the excess oil out of the handpiece or attachment.
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