A real autoclave is expensive, and so is buying a bunch of fresh tools each time. Also, tools gain power the more you use them, which is an important consideration. Luckily, you can use a stovetop pressure cooker to sterilize tools.
An instant pot is probably fine, but needs more time: Assessment and verification of commercially available pressure cookers for laboratory sterilization
These results suggest that, depending on the nature of the work undertaken, store-bought pressure cookers can be an appropriate substitute for commercial autoclaves.
In this work, only 15 mins of time in the pressure cookers was necessary to inactivate the microbes in growth media such that no growth was observed. High titer cultures of fungi required 60 mins for inactivation, which was the longest run time for live organisms tested.
Note: Instant pot used here reaches 10-12 PSI, while stovetop pressure cookers reach 15 PSI.
Background: Sterilization of medical and dental instruments in an expeditionary environment presents a myriad of logistical challenges to include portability, cost, and the need for adequate electrical power. The off-label use of pressure cookers to sterilize instruments presents a low-cost, easily procured option for sterilization in military prehospital settings. The objective of this project was to determine if sterility can be achieved using a commercially available pressure cooker.
Methods: Presto 4-Quart stainless steel pressure cookers were heated using Cuisinart CB-30 cast-iron single burners. Sterility test packs consisted of a 3M Attest 1292 Rapid Readout Biological Indicator and a 3M Comply SteriGage chemical integrator strip inside a Henry Schein Self Seal Sterilization Pouch. Each test pack was placed in a pressure cooker and brought to a pressure of 15 psi. After 20 minutes at pressure, sterility was verified. The Attest vials were incubated in a 3M Attest 290 Auto-Reader for at least 3 hours with a control Attest vial from the same lot as the autoclaved vials.
Results: Sterility using the pressure cooker was achieved in all tested bags, integrator strips, and Attest vials (n=128). The mean time to achieve the necessary 15 psi was 379 sec (SD = 77). Neither the ambient temperature nor humidity were found to affect the pressure cooker’s time to achieve adequate pressure nor the achieved depth on the integrator strip (all P > 0.05).
Conclusions: This study provides evidence that sterilization is a device agnostic process which can be accomplished with off-the-shelf alternatives capable of achieving the required pressure and temperature. Though lacking FDA approval, the use of commercially available pressure cookers may provide a fast and reliable method of sterilization requiring minimal resources from medics, physicians, and dentists working in expeditionary environments.
Cycle Times for Gravity-Displacement Steam Sterilization Cycles:Use of a Pressure Cooker to Achieve Sterilization for an Expeditionary Environment
Exposure Time at 121ºC (250ºF):
30 minutes
Max time 700 secs. No severe challenges to steam penetration.