1) Asepsis and sterilization are important principles to prevent wound infections. General asepsis principles were established by Hungarian scientists and accepted after Lister studied antiseptic surgery.
2) There are various levels of disinfection and sterilization that are classified based on their ability to eliminate different types of microorganisms. The most effective is sterilization which destroys all microorganisms.
3) Proper pre-sterilization cleaning is essential before subjecting instruments to sterilization using various physical and chemical methods like heat, radiation, ethylene oxide and chemicals. Strict aseptic storage of sterilized items is also important.