Some medical equipment is only used once and then thrown away, such as syringes and scalpel blades, while other equipments including large machines and scalpel handles are used multiple times since they do not come in contact with the body. It is important to keep all medical equipment completely sterile, whether it comes in contact with the body or not, so medical professionals can keep a completely clean environment. This is true of themedical equipment in labs, doctors’ offices, clinics, hospitals and other facilities.

All medical equipment should be cleaned and sterilized, although large machines do not create any risk of contaminating other samples with re-use. Smaller pieces of medical equipment are meant to be one-time use items and should never be reused. These one-time use items include syringes, scalpels, vials and anything else that cannot be used on more than one person, or even for more than one sample.

Medical equipment that is meant for one-time use may be functional after it has been used, but these disposable items pose great risk of cross contamination and dangerous consequences. While the tainted equipment could pose the health risk of infecting another patient in a care giving setting, it could also lead to tests giving a wrong result in a lab. Some sterilization processes kill most microorganisms but there is always a chance that a re-used item could be contaminated.

Whether you are using large pieces of medical equipment or small disposable items, cleanliness and sterilization is always important. Machines should be kept clean and sterilized after use, and one-time use items should be disposed of properly every time. Lives are depending on it.