Sterilization and preservation in oriental medicine part (1) On oriental needles / 全日本鍼灸学会雑誌

ABSTRACT

In daily clinic, we are greatly concerned with the sterilization of oriental needles and appliances.<br>Staphylococcus epidermitis and aureus, bacillus subtilis and pseudomonas aeruginosa and so on were detected when we cultivated bacteria on daily oriental needles in our clinical office. The author intestigated the ability of six sterilization methods; (1) ultra violet (253.7nm) 10 minutes, (2) wiping out by medical raw cotten contained water, (3) wiping out by medical raw cotten contained isopropylalcohol 70%, (4) dipping in isopropylalcohol 10 minutes, (5) dipping in 0.5% Hibitane (chlorhexidine) alcohol 10 minutes, (6) autoclave.<br>Among these six methods, the autoclave method is excellent of course, but among the simpler methods, the following one is excellent; after having wiping out oriental needles a few times by medical raw cotton contained 70% isopropylalcohol or 0.5% chlorhexidine, dipping in 0.5% chlorhexidine alcohol 10 minutes.<br>It is not necessary for this method to use machines, electricity, gas or over 30 minutes it is enough to dip chlorhexidine for 10 minutes.