Laboratory/ Darkroom/Sterilization Area
In order to provide our patients with the cleanest and most sterile environment, our lab is divided into "clean" and "dirty" sections, and the two areas never overlap. Stainless steel instruments that are not disposable are brought into the lab and placed on the "dirty" side. From here, they are scrubbed with soap and water and then placed in an ultrasonic cleaner. After this step, the instruments are bagged individually or in groupings based on what procedure they are dedicated to. All instruments are then placed in an autoclave for a steam and pressure sterilization cycle. When the cycle is completed, the instruments are heat-dried and moved to the "clean" side of the lab. From there, they are placed (still in their sealed bags) in each operatory.
Any plastic instruments we utilize are not autoclavable and thus are are single-use and are discarded immediately. It is important to note that all needles are disposed of after one use in special "sharps" containers, which are picked up by a carting service dedicated to medical waste disposal.
In order to insure that our sterilization procedures are indeed working, we subscribe to an autoclave testing service. This service is provided by an independent, off-site biological laboratory that collects samples of test strips that we have sterilized and analyzes them for bacterial growth on a regular basis. We have all the reports provided by this service on file and these reports can be furnished upon request.
