Sterilizers on the Market

Michael Parnell, CEO and President of EquipStat Medical Equipment, sells new and refurbished sterilizers. The company also repairs sterilizers under warranty. His opinion about the best sterilizers on the market is, "Amsco, Midmark and Tuttnauer because they provide the best value to a customer." Parnell's business is doing well on the 'refurbished sterilizers' side, "due to budget constraints and because buyers save money on refurbished units." He says the most common problems he sees with sterilizers occur because "the operator is not following the manufacturer's instructions and/or buying a refurbished unit that has not been refurbished."


When an EquipStat technician works on a sterilizer, it is completely refurbished - replacing the entire PM kit including gaskets, bellows, heating elements, temperature gauges and filters.

STAT Bio-Medical Sales & Service is experiencing a positive increase in business as well because, says Alda Clemmey, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, "We are a lot less expensive (usually half of what the manufacturer charges), whether a customer is looking to have their units serviced, or looking to purchase a new or pre-owned unit." STAT Bio-Medical Sales & Service sells Midmark, Pelton & Crane and Tuttnauer equipment. She too believes that the main problems affecting sterilizers are not usually in the equipment, but instead caused by the user of the device. Major problems seen at STAT are devices not heating properly, not draining properly, leaking and error codes.

Lisa Vanasco, Sales/Marketing, Ready Medical agrees blaming, "operating misuse," as the most common fault with sterilizers. Ready Medical sells refurbished and on occasion, new sterilization equipment with popular brands being Amsco, Steris, Midmark and Pelton Crane.

Sterilizers Need Maintenance

The fact that human error does seem to account for a majority of sterilizer breakdowns is concerning, considering that people's health can be severely affected by improperly sterilized equipment. Is lack of funding for proper maintenance the reason, or are those controlling the maintenance or handling of sterilizers not paying close enough attention to caring for the equipment?

Obviously there are people watching. Aside from the EPA rulings, the FDA has cited strict standards for product quality control and assurance, and have legislated medical device producers to upgrade and expand sterilization and disinfection systems. As reported in last year's industry report on sterilizer sales and service [search for dm5373 on DOTmed.com], "The Joint Commission of Medical Standards (JCAHO) requires document performance testing of all sterilizers found in surgery, central service and other hospital departments."

More Industry Reports