Thin air autoclaving

An excellent piece by Mario Finkiel and Maimon Asaraf, on the difficulties of installing, validating and operating a general and clinical waste autoclave high in the Andes mountains where the much reduced air pressure changes the game almost completely.

Autoclave function should remain relatively constant, since the vessel is sealed, at least during the sterilisation phase. However, getting it to the required pressure and temperature is a huge problem since water boils much more slowly and steam generation is so much more difficult, time consuming and costly.

And you though you had problems!

 

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