sterilizing supplies

[snugglebug14]

How do all of you sterilize your supplies for a birth? i have a pressure canner so woud love specific directions for that. can you use an oven? what is that method?

i've heardof midwives making linen packs that they sterilize their instruments in. can it get everything inside sterile? any directions for making the linen packs?if you don't sterilize them in a pack like that, or in one of the plastic ones they sell, how do you get them out of the pot, in your bag and to the birth with it still being sterile?thanks

[pamamidwife]

I clean the instruments off first, then soak in Wavicide, then wrap and put them in the oven at 200' for two hours.

I use cloth surgical towels to double wrap the instruments in. Because they're wrapped so many times over (the towels are good size, about 12"x12") twice, they stay sterile.

A pressure cooker works well too, and it's fast. Though I'm not sure of the exact directions on that method.

[Jane]

I have an pressure cooker that's meant to be an autoclave, so it has a pressure gauge with sterilization markings. I do 20 minutes in the "green" zone of temperature...it has numbers, but I don't remember what they are. I like the plastic/paper packs, but I'm thinking of doing some cloth ones because they make a nice sterile field. Where did you get surgical cloth, Pam?
Personally, I always want to do the sterilization that has pressure, heat and moisture, for true sterility. I don't trust purely oven treatments for instruments. I prefer not to do chemical sterilization because the chemicals are icky for me to work with. An autoclave on ebay is less than $200. It's nice for speculums, too.

[sevenkids]

I use a pressure cooker with a wire basket that sits above the water level. I have surgical towels and steri-tape (both bought off E-Bay for pretty cheap).
I scrub the instruments with a soft brush and hibiclens (those pre-soaped little sponge/scrub brushes that come in birth kits is perfect) and soak in rubbing alcohol for 1/2 hour. Dry them well with paper towels, and wrap in the surgical towels, seal with tape. I put a piece of the tape inside the pack to make sure the steam penetrated the towel.
Pressure cook for 30 minutes at 15 pounds, then when cool enough to handle, dry on a cookie sheet in an oven set at 200. Watch them so they don't burn! it only takes a few minutes to dry. I put them in a stainless steel steam table pan with a cover until ready to use.

Steam sterilization is the best, most reliable method for sterilization. An autoclave is basically a pressure cooker.

BTW, brown paper lunch bags and steri-tape work just as good as the sterilization pouches for lot cheaper..

[Jane]

Ooh! I like the paperbag idea. I also think the steam table tray is a good idea. Most packages need to be protected somewhat to maintain sterility.

Can I derail this a little - how many sets of instruments do you have/ carry? What's in your packs?

[sevenkids]

I have 2 complete sets, seems to be enough to always have one sterilized. I carry a small bottle of Zephran in case I need to do a cold sterilization (the steam table pan comes in handy for that)

One complete set.... one Rochester Pean hemostat, one hesseltine clamp, one scissors. In a seperate pack, one hemostat. Seperate suture pack, suture scissors, 2 mosquito forceps, needle holder. I have an episiotomy scissors in a seperate pack that I hope to never use. I sterilize the spare hemostat seperately because I rarely use two, I don't clamp and cut cords until after the placenta is out and the cord thins, then I just use the hesseltine and one hemostat. I label the steri-tape with the contents, Birth, Suture, Epi, Hemo, and date them.

[mothercat]

Originally Posted by sevenkids

I label the steri-tape with the contents, Birth, Suture, Epi, Hemo, and date them.

Why do you date them?

[time4another]

Originally Posted by mothercat

Why do you date them?

I'll answer this as the former lab rat that I am....

All autoclaved/sterilized things are only thought to be 'good' (aka sterile) for a few months. I believe its 6 but its been 5 years since I worked in the lab so I could be wrong. Either way the point is, that sterilization does not last forever.

Heather

[sevenkids]

Originally Posted by time4another

that sterilization does not last forever.

Heather

Plus, to use the oldest pack first.