Aseptic is more likely to describe techniques that keep an environment in its sterile state. sterileĪlthough aseptic and sterile both basically mean “germ-free,” sterile is more likely to describe medical environments, products, and instruments that have been cleaned ( sterilized). A business might be described as sterile, for example, if it is no longer earning profits. Metaphorically, it also means unproductive in terms of results or ideas. A dog that has been neutered, for example, is sterile. Sterile can also mean “incapable of producing offspring.” This can be applied to humans, animals, and plants, and to land or soil incapable of producing vegetation. Sometimes, the word aseptic is used in the context of environments (such as so-called clean rooms) in which a germ-free state must be maintained after sterilization.ĭig deeper with this discussion on the difference between disinfectant and antiseptic.
This is usually done by exposing things to heat or with the use of certain chemicals. The word sanitize often means the same thing.
ASEPSIS TECHNIQUE FREE
The verb sterilize means to clean things in a way that makes them sterile-completely free from germs. To achieve this, medical materials have special packaging, and there are special procedures for handling such things and for cleaning places like examination and operating rooms. Modern medicine relies on things being free from germs to prevent infections and the spread of disease. However, it’s most often applied to environments, such as an operating room, and to instruments and materials, such as scalpels, needles, and gauze. In the general medical context, sterile means the same thing as aseptic-germ-free. It’s common to put antiseptic on a cut to prevent it from getting infected.
The word antiseptic is also commonly used as a noun to refer to a substance that prevents or inhibits the growth of disease-causing microorganisms. Sometimes, antiseptic means much the same thing as aseptic: “free from or cleaned of germs and other microorganisms.” The word antiseptic means “relating to the destruction of the microorganisms that can cause sepsis” (the prefix anti- means “against”-that’s the “destruction” part). The whole point of making procedures aseptic is to prevent sepsis-to prevent infection. The state of being infected is called sepsis. The word septic means “infected” (the prefix a- in aseptic means “not”). The word aseptics refers to the system of packaging things in this way. The word aseptic can also be used as a noun to refer to a product that’s sold in a special container that keeps bacteria from growing. Relatedly, aseptic gowning refers to the use of medical clothing to keep environments germ-free and avoid the transfer of germs.Ĭreating a germ-free environment is important in medicine but also in food packaging, especially for drinks, like milk and fruit juice, which can grow bacteria if they’re not prepared and stored properly. In medicine, aseptic means “free from living microorganisms that can cause disease (aka germs like bacteria or viruses).” In this context, the word is commonly used in the term aseptic technique, which refers to the collection of practices that are designed to avoid the introduction and transfer of germs and contaminants during medical processes.
Sterile also means “incapable of producing offspring.” What does aseptic mean? Aseptic is most commonly applied in the context of techniques and procedures, while sterile is most commonly used to describe environments and instruments that have been cleaned (sterilized).
In the context of medicine, aseptic and sterile both mean germ-free.
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