How Washing and Sterilization in the Laboratory Has Moved on

Laboratory glass washers, surgical instrumentreproducibility, not to mention preventing the
washers and other glass washers and sterilizationspread of disease from contaminated medical
equipment for the laboratory and clinicalinstruments. These medical and laboratory
environments has come a long way. Thewashing and sterilization devices have greatly
advances of the last century and in particular thereduced the incidence of nosocomial infections.
last couple of decades have changed nearlyHospital-acquired infections have always been a
everything about how things are done in theserious concern, especially with the rise of
laboratory. Constantly improving technologies haveantibiotic-resistant pathogens; something that the
meant that laboratory personnel have been ablelatest generations of surgical instrument washers
to arrive at more accurate results, deal withand laboratory glass washers are designed to deal
much higher throughputs and enjoy a much saferwith. The washing machines now used in
work environment. These advances have alsolaboratories and clinics use both efficient
enabled the scientific and medical breakthroughsautomated washing technologies and high heat to
of recent years and one very important part ofkill harmful microorganisms while being constructed
this has been the improvements made indurably enough to withstand the trace amounts
sterilization in the laboratory and in hospitals.of potentially corrosive substances that they may
While it is true that sterilization instruments likebe subjected to while in use.
the autoclave have been in use since the late 19thThe cleaning and sterilization procedures used in
century, this was by no means standardthe modern laboratory and hospital have made an
equipment in every laboratory or hospital until theincredible difference in the structure of laboratory
latter part of the 20th due to their expense. Forworkflow, the efficiency and reproducibility of
a very long time, in fact, well into the modernresearch applications and through surgical
era, laboratory washing machines were hardly theinstrument washers, the safety of those who
norm. Prior to the advent of laboratory glasswork in the health care sector and of the public
washers and modern surgical instrument washers,at large. Progress is constantly advancing in the
laboratory glassware, surgical instruments andsciences and medicine and with them, the
other materials and instruments were washedsophistication of laboratory glass washers and
manually in hot soapy water, perhaps with a acidiclaboratory washing machines. New and improved
or basic rinse or soak in more recent times.sterilization technologies such as UV light are
Manual washing was certainly better than nobecoming increasingly common in these vital
washing at all, but does not ensure the eliminationpieces of laboratory equipment - and a century
of all pathogenic organisms or material which couldfrom now, it may well be the case that the
cause contamination in experiments which aresterilization techniques of today may seem as
sensitive to the slightest trace of foreign matter.antiquated and inefficient as a simple soap and
Laboratory washing machines and other newerwater wash for surgical instruments seems to us
sterilization equipment have made it possible tonow.
achieve much higher standards of accuracy and