The proper use of an autoclave requires cleaning, sterile rinse, and disinfection for 10 minutes in an EPA-registered hospital germicide before sterilizing.

• A. Autoclave
• B. Disinfectant
• C. Sterilizer
• D. Steam

Answer: (A)

The main idea is how sterilization is performed with a steam-under-pressure device. An autoclave uses saturated steam under high pressure to achieve sterilization, and proper practice involves preparing instruments first—cleaning off debris, rinsing, and disinfecting with an EPA‑registered hospital germicide to lower the bioburden before the sterilization step. This makes the autoclave the best fit for the description, since it’s the equipment that actually carries out the high-temperature, high-pressure sterilization process.

Disinfectant refers to the chemical used to kill microbes, not the device performing the sterilization. Sterilizer is a broader term for any device that sterilizes, but the phrase specifies the unit used to carry out the process described, which is most precisely an autoclave. Steam describes the method inside the device, not the device itself.