subject: Medical Lab Equipment: Keep It Clean [print this page] Not every piece of lab equipment is created alike. Consequently, not all lab pieces can be used interchangeably. It take a bit of research and a few pointed questions to get the pieces you need, whether you need scientific equipment or more medically inclined tools. Of the two, there is more demand for medical lab pieces than for straight scientific ones.
While bulk-discounted science lab pieces are common and affordable enough, medical lab equipment is markedly expensive. Specific lab rules and state laws regulate the use, storage, and cleaning of laboratory equipment and materials. This means implements, like scalpels and vials that are used to procure tissue or fluid samples must be disposed of after use. While more expensive pieces of equipment are spared the trash can, there are regulations governing their cleanliness.
Understanding cleanliness brings us to understanding the two main types of medical lab pieces: single-use items and lab equipment. Single-use tools have been mentioned, but they can also include syringes, tongue depressors, and ear cones. Though they are meant to be disposed of on-site, there is a chance they can cross-contaminate the more expensive equipment pieces. When this happens, the technicians have to take precautions to ensure the equipment doesn't contaminate other samples.
The majority of sterilization techniques kill nearly 99-percent of micro-organisms. There is a chance, though it's a 1-percent chance, of spreading contaminants. In order to protect the patient, the practitioner and his or her staff, all items that come in contact with a patient must be disposed of or sterilized. Any equipment that studies or analyzes these samples must be sterilized in due process.
Mind you, most medical tools do not come into contact with patients. Indeed, most pieces of equipment don't come into contact with tissues or fluids. These pieces include such expensive pieces as centrifuges and spectrophotometers, but can include conventional pieces, like your run of the mill microscope. The key to keeping these pieces of equipment ready and functional is keeping them clean.
