Doctors have one of the most noble responsibilities in our society. They are in charge of providing well-being and health to all the people who inhabit a country. Every day of the week, hospitals see thousands of patients who have some affliction; in many of these cases, the need for surgery is important to save a life. For this reason, it is important to have the best materials to ensure that any intervention is a success. Thanks to their hygiene and resistance characteristics, stainless steel has positioned itself as one of the most used materials in the health industry.
The doctors of antiquity and their instruments
The profession of a doctor has many years of history; before scalpels and other instruments, were made of bronze alloys, obsidian and even bamboo. For example, in Egyptian culture, a special obsidian scalpel was used for the embalming process. But this changed with the discovery of stainless steel. Thanks to this material, the scalpel became the most important medical instrument of modern society, mainly due to its practical and hygienic characteristics.
The discovery of stainless steel and its use in the medical sector has been taking place since the beginning of the 20th century. Currently, surgical instruments are manufactured, for the most part, with this material. Another point to highlight is that these tools need to go through a great process of hygiene and sterilization, which this material withstands without losing any of its main characteristics, such as its resistance to corrosion.
Importance and benefits of stainless steel in medical instruments
In today's society, this profession keeps up to date with new technologies and innovation in different instruments and machines that guarantee better monitoring of the health of different sectors of the population. In this scenario, stainless steel plays an important role in the manufacture of medical instruments, operating room equipment, bone fixation screws and implants, as this material is resistant to tension. Now, in our country we have current regulations for stainless steel metal implants for surgery, which precisely regulates the quality of these pieces to guarantee a top-level product.
Main benefits and advantages of stainless steel in these instruments
One of the highest priorities of hospitals and health centers is hygiene, as it is an element that is necessary to guarantee the correct treatment of patients and so that there are no complications when performing any surgical intervention. Well, this characteristic is one of those that stainless steel has. Some other benefits that this type of material gives are the following:
- It is easy to clean, disinfect and sterilize, so it helps with the hygiene of hospitals and operating rooms.
- Its firmness helps to maintain the edge and has a suitable potential for surgeries.
- Stainless steel is also used in the wrap-around design of electronic devices, such as medical monitors, to prevent electromagnetic interferences.
- It has a non-porous surface, which means that bacteria and stains cannot penetrate the material. Just use a strong solvent to remove any type of dirt.
- It is rust-resistant. With this material you won't have to worry about corrosion when washing the instruments.
It should be mentioned that in dentistry, stainless steel is also chosen as the raw material for their instruments. Mainly for being durable and resistant to corrosion, but also because it can be combined with other metals and create alloys that meet the main objectives of this type of profession.
Stainless steel 304
The grades commonly used in the manufacture of these types of tools are the austenitic 304 and 316. Mainly for those attachments that require edges with a good degree of sharpness and high quality. This metal has a wide variety of shapes and finishes, in addition to offering high resistance to corrosion and low carbon content. This means that it will not have any adverse reaction when it comes into contact with body tissues, with different types of soaps or cleaning products, or with wear.
Other benefits of this metal can be:
- This alloy has properties that make it viable for recycling.
- It is perfect for operating rooms as it is not magnetic.
- It has a great resistance to heat.
- When this metal hardens, it will not change its shape.
- Great antibacterial property
- It does not stain and can be washed many times to be reused many times.
Ulbrinox is one of the main distributors of stainless steel in Mexico and Latin America. We understand the importance of this material in various industries. Come to us! We are proud to provide the best materials, the highest quality in the market. Check out our products on this website, contact us at our online chat and we will give you the personalized attention you deserve.
