1 Year Later: How CSS Contributed to Fighting COVID Written by: Arthur Trapotsis March 11, 2021, marked the one-year anniversary of the World Health Organization’s announcement officially declaring the novel coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. In the days, weeks and months following the announcement, the world seemed to turn upside down and everyone, including we here at Consolidated Sterilizer Systems, struggled to adapt to what has been deemed “the […] Tweet Like Share
Autoclave Wall Seal Options, Explained Written by: Scott Mechler Though less flashy than other parts, the wall seal around a pass-thru (double door) sterilizer s one of the most essential components of apass-thru autoclave’s design. That’s because this seal creates a barrier between the contained room and non-contained room (or clean room vs dirty room) thereby preventing any possible contaminants from escaping the room. […] Tweet Like Share
Consolidated Introduces First-Ever Remote Validation Service Written by: Arthur Trapotsis If you are the owner or operator of a laboratory or medical autoclave, it’s in your best interest to ensure that your unit is operating at optimal performance levels at all times. To that end, it’s important to validate your autoclave, both upon initial installation and on a routine basis. In this blog post, we’ll […] Tweet Like Share
Celebrating 75 Years of Consolidated Sterilizer Systems Written by: CSS Marketing Team Our story begins 75 years ago in Boston, Massachusetts in 1946. Then known as the Consolidated Machine Corporation, William A. Barnstead and his business partners, focused the company on producing autoclaves and water stills for the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Navy. Barnstead, an entrepreneur and rugged individualist, worked diligently to create a strong […] Tweet Like Share
Consolidated Sterilizer Systems Unveils New Autoclave Sustainability Features Written by: CSS Marketing Team February 26, 2021, (BILLERICA, MASS.) – Consolidated Sterilizer Systems is proud to announce the addition of several new exciting features to our line of steam sterilizers. These enhancements present major benefits to both lab and medical facilities, promoting sustainability and reducing both the carbon footprint and operating costs of a steam sterilizer. Between steam generation, […] Tweet Like Share
Is It Time to Upgrade or Replace Your Autoclave? Written by: Jason Thompson Autoclaves are often a mission-critical tool and, like all machinery, do experience wear and tear as a result of frequent use. Inevitably, there will come a time when you replace your unit to ensure consistent autoclave performance. Here are some guidelines around when it may be time to upgrade or replace your autoclave: The autoclave […] Tweet Like Share
Your Go-To Guide for Autoclave Safety [w/ Free Checklist!] Written by: Scott Mechler Autoclaves, also known as sterilizers, are designed to disinfect, decontaminate, and sterilize laboratory equipment using incredibly hot, pressurized steam. As a result, there are a number of potential risks associated with operating an autoclave, such as steam burns, hot fluid scalds, and hand and arm injuries when closing the autoclave door. In order to avoid […] Tweet Like Share
Decontaminating N95 Masks with Steam Sterilization Written by: Amit Gupta Can N95 Masks be steam sterilized for reuse? This article attempts to answer this question by giving a review of the current literature and taking a closer look at N95 filter types and materials of construction. The ability to autoclave N95 masks would be ideal because autoclaving is a proven sterilization process and existing autoclave […] Tweet Like Share
Consolidated Autoclave Installation at BSL-3 Coronavirus Laboratory Written by: Arthur Trapotsis With researchers around the world hard at work to develop a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, also known as the novel coronavirus, an increasing number of research facilities are working to achieve BSL-3 certification in order join the fight to find a cure. In order to conduct research using coronavirus isolates or cultures, laboratories must receive biosafety […] Tweet Like Share
7 Common Autoclave Problems You Should be Aware Of Written by: Scott Mechler In an ideal world, laboratory autoclaves would always work exactly as intended. Unfortunately, issues can and do arise — the key to resolving them is knowing what to look for. In this article, we’ll outline seven of the most common autoclave problems and how to identify them. 1. The sterilizer won’t reach the temperature set-point. […] Tweet Like Share
7.12.23 Cordyceps Sterilization: How to Kill “The Last of Us” Parasite → In HBO’s recent adaptation of “The Last of Us,” a popular action-adventure video game, life as we know it is upended by a parasitic fungus that transforms its human hosts into zombies. The culprit? Cordyceps, a real-life genus of fungus which is best known for infecting insects (most famously ants) in much the same manner […]
6.30.23 Top 13 Sterile Processing Mistakes in Hospitals → When it comes to ensuring patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), the Sterile Processing Department (SPD) is among the last lines of defense. It’s this department’s sole responsibility to make sure that reusable instruments and devices are properly decontaminated, sterilized, and ultimately safe to use in future procedures — protecting patients from […]
6.22.23 Sterilization vs. High-Level and Low-Level Disinfection [a 3-Point Comparison] → In a 1939 paper, microbiologist Earle H. Spaulding introduced a system for determining which medical devices and instruments needed disinfection and which ones required sterilization. In it, he proposed that critical instruments would need to be subjected to more stringent disinfection protocols than non-critical patient care items. Today, this framework is fittingly known as Spaulding […]