Patent ID: 8236253

Claim:
A portable steam sterilizer for surgical instruments comprising: a tray configured to hold the instruments; a pressure chamber including: a cavity portion, said cavity portion including a plurality of walls, said cavity portion being configured to releasably receive said tray, and a handle portion coupled to said tray for selectively inserting and removing said tray respectively into and from within said cavity portion, said handle portion being sealingly engageable with said cavity portion to thereby define said pressure chamber, said handle portion comprising a sealing member that deforms to seal against at least one of said plurality of walls of said cavity portion when said pressure chamber is filled with pressurized steam; a steam inlet fluidly communicating said pressure chamber with a source of steam to selectively permit steam to flow from said source into said pressure chamber; a steam outlet fluidly communicating said pressure chamber with a steam management assembly to selectively permit steam to flow from said pressure chamber into said steam management assembly; and at least one heating element disposed on an outer face of at least one of said plurality of walls.