ST79: AAMI's Landmark Recommended Practice for Hospital Steam Sterilization
The AAMI recommended practice, Comprehensive guide to steam sterilization and sterility assurance in health care facilities (ANSI/AAMI ST79:2006 and A1:2008 and A2:2009) is a breakthrough standard in terms of its scope, contents, and how AAMI plans to maintain it.
Updating your copy of ST79 and unsure what you need? Check here before ordering.
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ST79 |
ST79 |
$110 |
$220 |
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ST79-PDF |
ST79-PDF |
$110 |
$220 |
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ST79-CO (Replace everything in your ST79 binder with these 3-hole punched pages & tabs.) |
ST79-CO |
$80 |
$160 |
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ST79 Amendment 1 (3-hole punched for your ST79 binder) |
ST79-A |
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$70 |
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ST79 Amendment 1-PDF |
ST79-A-PDF |
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ST79-A2 |
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ST79 |
ST79-A2-PDF |
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ST79-A2B |
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ST79-A2B-PDF |
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NOTE: As of August 2009, ST79, ST79-PDF, and ST79-CO consist of the consolidated text of ANSI/AAMI ST79:2006 and ANSI/AAMI ST79:2006/A1:2008 and ST79:2006/A2:2009. Amendment 1 was published in Nov. 2008 and Amendment 2 in August 2009. Please see Amendments 1 and 2 to identify exactly what has changed. The amendments shows modifications to the 2006 edition of ST79 in redline/strikeout.
Because ST79 essentially consolidates five AAMI steam sterilization standards (whose content was reviewed and updated to reflect current good practice prior to being incorporated into ST79), it truly is a comprehensive guideline for all steam sterilization activities in healthcare facilities, regardless of the size of the sterilizer or the size of the facility, and provides a resource for all healthcare personnel who use steam for sterilization.
Four-Phase System
Saturated steam under pressure is one of the oldest methods used in healthcare facilities to sterilize medical devices. Because this method has been available for so many years, it is thought to be a simple process, one that is well understood and controlled. However, the efficacy of any sterilization process, including saturated steam, depends on a consistent system for 1) lowering and limiting bioburden before sterilization, 2) properly preparing items for sterilization, 3) selecting the appropriate sterilization parameters, and 4) establishing and implementing controls to maintain the sterility of sterilized items until they are used. These four critically interdependent phases provide the framework for ST79.
New Format, New Approach
Some of the challenges AAMI faced in compiling a document with so much information included making it durable and organizing it in such a manner that users could quickly and easily find what they were looking for. Thus, ST79 is the first AAMI standard to be available in loose-leaf binder format. (It is also available individually in PDF format and as part of Sterilization in Health Care Facilities, AAMI's Sterilization CD, and subscription products). The attractive binder features sturdy metal rings, ledger-weight pages, and laminated tabs for easy navigation.
Another important aspect of ST79 is that it is the first AAMI standard to be part of the American National Standards Institute’s “continuous maintenance” classification. Normally, AAMI standards undergo “periodic maintenance,” which calls for review (and subsequent revision, reaffirmation, or withdrawal) of a standard every five years. With continuous maintenance, AAMI will consider requests for change at any time.
NOTE: The AAMI Steam Sterilization Hospital Practices Working Group is beginning a revision of ST79, therefore with publication of the 2009 Amendment, the current edition is no longer on Continuous Maintenance. If the Working Group decides to put the next edition on Continuous Maintenance, this will be announced when that document is completed and published.
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THE FIVE RECOMMENDED PRACTICES INCORPORATED INTO THE NEW STANDARD ARE . . .
- ANSI/AAMI ST46, Steam sterilization and sterility assurance in health care facilities
- ANSI/AAMI ST42, Steam sterilization and sterility assurance using table-top sterilizers in office-based, ambulatory-care medical, surgical, and dental facilities
- ANSI/AAMI ST37, Flash sterilization: Steam sterilization of patient care items for immediate use
- ANSI/AAMI ST35, Safe handling and biological decontamination of medical devices in health care facilities and in nonclinical settings
- ANSI/AAMI ST33, Guidelines for the selection and use of reusable rigid sterilization container systems for ethylene oxide sterilization and steam sterilization in health care facilities