Improper sterilization of medical devices can result in the transmission of life-threatening pathogens to patients and health care professionals. As a result, proper cleaning and sterilization of devices is vital to preventing HAIs. This has led to a number of studies reporting infections related to ineffective sterilization practices. Sterilization is defined as the destruction of all microbial life. The two most common methods for sterilization are steam and autoclaving. Steam sterilization uses saturated steam at high temperatures to kill all microbial life. In the case of autoclaving, the device is enclosed in a chamber heated to an appropriate temperature.