Q Our endoscopes have steam-sterilizable assemblies. Is steam better than a 12-minute soak?

A There's no question sterilization is far superior to even high-level disinfection (HLD) for destroying microbial life. However, most endoscopes can't withstand the temperatures of steam sterilization or the time associated with low-temperature sterilants. So HLD is often used to make instruments safe between cases.