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Sterilizer | Sterilizator

  • Hospital Technician Šerif Mehić with Sterilizing Equipment | Bolnica tehničar Šerif Mehić sa sterilizacije
  • The Autoclave Control Panel | Autoklava Control Panel
  • Medical Trays Inside the Autoclave | Medicinski Posude Unutar Autoklav
  • Hospital Technicans Talk in the Hallway | Bolnica Technicans razgovor u hodniku
  • Portrait of Šerif Mehić, Hospital Technician | Portret Šerif Mehić, bolnica tehničar
  • Šerif Mehić at his Daughter’s Flower Shop | Šerif Mehić na svoje kćeri Flower Shop

  • Gorazde's Cantonal Hospital, Goražde
  • Proper sterilization equipment makes all surgical procedures performed at the hospital safer for its patients.
  • Kantonalna bolnica Goražde
  • Ispravna oprema za sterilizaciju je dodatna sigurnost pacijentima prilikom operativnih zahvata u bolnicama.

Šerif Mehić, a recently retired medical technician, remembers the time when sterilization was improvised in hospitals.

“In 1992, sterilization machines didn’t exist at the Hospital. It was in the midst of the Bosnian war and we needed to sterilize tools to help wounded people. We were without electricity, and we’d light up the fire and, all night, we’d be figuring out how to sterilize without the real machines,” says Mehić.

Whenever any tool is used that comes into contact with the bloodstream—a scalpel, for example—it’s imperative that they are completely free of bacteria. Even if the scalpel is completely sterile at the beginning of a procedure, it can become contaminated just by setting it down on a tray that hasn’t been sterilized. Improperly sanitized equipment adds significant danger to medical procedures. Patients can develop blood born diseases if exposed to bloodborne pathogens. Bacterial infections can be very serious, leading to pneumonia, meningitis, and even death. Septic measures must be taken so harmful microorganisms do not transfer to the patients. According to Mehić, “Sterilizing is a basic function for a hospital.”

One of the early techniques hospitals used to sterilize instruments was by washing them in alcohol, sometimes in combination with other chemicals. But that’s not completely effective. And if the instrument isn’t perfectly clean first, then the alcohol may not be able to reach a portion of the instrument, leaving it contaminated.

“Imagine we had to send a patient to Sarajevo, an hour and a half away, just because we don’t have the proper sterilization techniques. It could mean the difference between life and death for that person. It’s crucial we have this technology,” Mehić says.

Goražde Hospital currently treats 23,000 people a year. It had an urgent need for an autoclave—a machine which uses pressure, heat, and steam to thoroughly sterilize medical instruments. Bosnian philanthropist Sanela Diana Jenkins donated a sterilizer to the hospital through her foundation.

“This meant everything to us. Surgeons were finally able to reuse their tools after surgery,” says Mehić.

Mehić worked at Goražde’s Hospital for over 30 years. Since his recent retirement, he has helped his daughter open a flower shop. “Even though I’m retired, new technicians still call me and ask me to tell them what certain things on the machine mean.”

Article and photos by photojournalist Dijana Muminović

Šerif Mehić, tek penzionisani medicinski tehničar, sjeća se vremena kada je oprema za sterilizaciju bila improvizovana u bolnicama.

“1992. godine aparati za sterilizaciju nisu postojali u bolnicama. Sredinom rata u Bosni i Hercegovini trebali smo sterilizovati opremu kako bi pomogli ranjenicima. Bili smo bez struje, i morali smo paliti vatru i cijelu noć smo tražili način kako sterilizovati bez pravog aparata,” kaže Mehić.

Kad god bilo koji alat dodje u kontakt sa krvotokom, na primjer skalper, on mora biti bakteriološki čist. Čak ako je skalper u potpunosti sterilan na početku procedure, on može postati zaražen samo spuštanjem na policu koja nije predhodno sterilizovana. Nepravilno sanitizirana oprema značajno povećava opasnost tokom medicinskih procedura. Pacijenti mogu razviti bolesti u krvi ako su izloženi krvnim patogenima. Bakterijska infekcija može biti vrlo ozbiljna, te prouzrokovati upalu pluća, meningitis, pa čak i smrt. Septičke mjere moraju spriječiti preteške mikroorganizme da se ne prenesu na pacijente. Prema Mehićevim riječima sterilizacija je osnovna funkcija za bolnicu.

Jedna od ranih tehnika koje su bolnice koristile da sterilizuju instrumente bilo je njihovo pranje u alkoholu, a nekad u kombinaciji sa ostalim hemikalijama. Ali to nije potpuno efektivno. Ako istrument prije svega nije perfektno čist, onda alkohol možda nije u mogućnosti doći do svih njegovih djelova, što će instrument ostaviti kontaminiranim.

“Zamislite da moramo poslati pacijenta u Sarajevo, sat i po daleko, samo zato što nemamo ispravnu sterilizacijsku tehniku. To može značiti život ili smrt za tu osobu. Krucijalno je važno da imamo ovu tehnologiju,” kaže Mehić.

Goraždanska bolnica trenutno servisira 23,000 ljudi godišnje. Pstojala je urgentna potreba za mašinu koja koristi pritisak, grianje i paru kako bi temeljito sterilizovala medicinske instrumente. Bosanskohercegovačka filantropica Sanela Diana Jenkins donirala je bolnici sterilizator putem svoje fondacije.

“Ovo je značilo sve za nas. Hirurzi su konačno mogli ponovo koristiti svoje instrumenge nakon operacija,” kaže Mehić.

Mehić je radio u Goraždanskoj bolnici preko 30 godina. Nakon nedavnog penzionisanja pomogao je kćerci da otvori cvjećaru. “Čak i ako sam penzionisan, novi tehničari me još uvijek zovu i pitaju da im kažem za šta služe odredjene stvari na mašini.”

Autor članaka i fotografija: Dijana Muminović


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