As you can see, stainless steel can be seen everywhere in our lives. Used in decoration, cooking, construction, etc. Today, let’s take you to understand how stainless steel is used in medical equipment in hospitals. Where does stainless steel appear in hospitals? There are more answers than you can imagine.

Stainless steel products such as infusion stands, stethoscopes, injection needles, tweezers, tweezer tubes, iodophor cotton tubes, sieve frames, sterilization squares, sterilization boxes, small medicine spoons, tongue depressors, etc. have entered the corner of the hospital.

In fact, stainless steel products are inseparable from places we don’t often see every day, such as medical stents, bone drills, walkers, instrument cabinets, adjustment cabinets, scalpels, surgical scissors, surgical forceps, surgical shadowless lamps and hole-type shadowless lamps , deep irradiation shadowless lamp, cold light single-hole lamp, medical cart, operating bed, gynecological examination bed, nursing bed, sink, stainless steel test tube rack, medical equipment trolley, stretcher. These are usually made from antibacterial stainless steel.


So, what kind of stainless steel is suitable for them?

Stainless steel (sometimes called stain-resistant steel) is the most commonly used metal alloy for making surgical instruments. Austenitic 316 (AISI 316L) is a commonly used stainless steel known as "surgical steel". This is because it is a hard metal and very resistant to corrosion. It is also frequently used in the chemical industry. AISI 301 is the most commonly used metal for manufacturing medical springs. Elasticity is gained during cold working, but corrosion resistance is lost. Why choose stainless steel to manufacture medical devices?

Stainless steel can withstand temperatures up to 400°C, which means it can be easily sterilized in an autoclave at 180°C. It also has toughness and wear resistance advantages that are nearly as good as carbon steel.

At present, many medical devices are made of stainless steel because the chemical properties of stainless steel are relatively stable and the hardness conditions are also very good. It can be said that it is the material of choice for manufacturing medical devices.

There are many types of stainless steel surgical instruments and they are used frequently. In order to maintain high hardness and good sharpness for a long time, medical surgical instruments usually use stainless steel as the material. However, stainless steel instruments can also rust if you are not careful.


Is it true that stainless steel medical equipment can also corrode?

The surface of medical stainless steel instruments that are usually in contact with blood is prone to rust because blood contains hemoglobin, which is a compound of iron. Additionally, blood contains sodium chloride, which strongly corrodes all stainless steel. Once these two substances come into contact with the equipment, they will immediately begin to corrode.


How to prevent corrosion of medical equipment?

Surgical instruments must be transported on site after disassembly. The longer the delay time, the more serious the equipment corrosion and rust, and the higher the processing cost. If it is fresh blood, just treat it with cold water; if it is fresh blood that has coagulated on the surface, you can add some detergent; but if it has completely coagulated into dried blood, you need to add enzymes; if the blood is steam sterilized, if it is , ultrasonic treatment must be used, and the relative cost will naturally be higher.

The surface of medical stainless steel instruments that are usually in contact with blood is prone to rust because blood contains hemoglobin, which is a compound of iron. Additionally, blood contains sodium chloride, which strongly corrodes all stainless steel. Once these two substances come into contact with the equipment, they will immediately begin to corrode. Therefore, surgical instruments must be transported on site after disassembly. The longer the delay time, the more serious the equipment corrosion and rust, and the higher the processing cost. If it is fresh blood, just treat it with cold water; if it is fresh blood that has coagulated on the surface, you can add some detergent; but if it has completely coagulated into dried blood, you need to add enzymes; if the blood is steam sterilized, if it is , ultrasonic treatment must be used, and the relative cost will naturally be higher.