Autoclave Cycle Requirements for Surgical Hand Tools

Minimally invasive surgery offers numerous benefits for patients, including faster recovery times, smaller incisions, and reduced scarring. To support the success of these medical procedures, it is critical to employ sterile tools during surgery to minimize the risks of infection for the patient. In the realm of reusable powered hand tools for surgery, a preferred sterilization method is called autoclaving, which consists of exposing the reusable tool to alternating positive and negative pressure and high-temperature steam. Due to the harsh environments these tools are exposed to, autoclaving requires motion control components to be specifically designed to withstand such conditions.

Learn more about the autoclaving trends and practices here: Exploring Autoclave Trends in Minimally Invasive Surgery (portescap.com)

Typical Lifespan and Autoclave Cycle Counts for Surgical Hand Tools

Maximizing the utilization of sterile tools during surgical procedures is paramount. Each approach, however, comes with its own set of trade-offs, such as determining which type of surgical tool is ideal for the application. Two main options include:

1. Disposable Surgical Tools. These tools are intended for one-time use and will be thrown away after the procedure is complete; their components do not need to endure autoclave cycles.
2. Reusable Surgical Tools. The components of these tools are engineered to endure autoclaving cycles, taking into account the desired lifespan. Examples include:
   1. Tools rated for 200 – 500 autoclaving cycles
   2. Tools rated for 1,000 autoclaving cycles
   3. Tools rated for over 3,000 autoclaving cycles

Autoclaving conditions subject motion control components like bearings, seals, sensors, magnets, stators, and electronics to extreme fatigue. As the cycle count increases, the design complexity, features, and material selection also become more critical.

Portescap Supports Surgical Hand Tools Across Various Autoclave Cycle Counts

Based on years of experience in providing engineering expertise for surgical hand tool applications, Portescap has developed a range of solutions and capabilities for supporting various autoclaving cycle counts; these include standard and configurable products, as well as custom designs. Specific examples from the Portescap portfolio are:

• ECA BLDC slotless product line for 200 – 500 autoclaving cycle counts
• Slotted brushless DC motors for 1,000 autoclaving cycle counts
• Exceptional customization capabilities for 3,000+ autoclaving cycle counts

Portescap has long been a leader in autoclave technologies for micro motors and performs in-house autoclave durability testing using hospital-grade equipment. For more details about our readily available autoclavable motion solutions, including our sterilizable BLDC motors, gearheads, encoders, and controllers, visit us here.