Final answer:
Instruments are bagged prior to steam sterilization to prevent contamination during storage. The sterile barrier provided by the bag ensures instruments maintain their sterility after the process and until use. Autoclaves use moist heat for effective sterilization which requires proper packaging to protect the instruments.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct option : a
Instruments are bagged before steam sterilization primarily to prevent contamination during storage. This is necessary because the sterility of the instruments must be maintained after they have been sterilized and until they are used. The bags protect against environmental contaminants and maintain a sterile barrier. These packaging materials are designed to allow the sterilizing agent, which is steam in this case, to penetrate and reach the instruments while still ensuring that sterility is preserved. After the sterilization process, the bagged instruments can be stored safely without the risk of becoming contaminated by bacteria, viruses, or other microorganisms.
Steam sterilization, often carried out in devices called autoclaves, utilizes moist heat to kill all forms of microbial life, including heat-resistant endospores. The process works by raising temperatures to levels higher than the boiling point of water, which is effective in achieving sterility. Proper packaging is crucial because it sustains the sterility of the instruments post-sterilization. The material used for bagging is specially designed to withstand the high temperatures involved without melting or compromising the sterile barrier.
To summarize, the primary reason for bagging instruments before steam sterilization is to ensure they remain sterile during storage and until they are needed. The effectiveness of this sterilization method relies on the ability of steam to penetrate and kill all microorganisms, which is why the autoclave is a standard and highly trusted method in medical settings for sterilizing equipment that cannot be exposed to high heat, such as some plastics and delicate instruments.