Why Bowie & Dick Test Important for Autoclave Sterilization
In medical practice, sterilization is very important. In medical practice it is necessary to have a sterilization process, because this practice often makes contact with things that have the potential to be infected or harmful substances. In carrying out the sterilization process, it needs a device called an autoclave.
The autoclave is a closed heating device that is used to carry out the sterilization process of an object using steam at high temperature or pressure (about 1200 Celsius, 15 Ibs) which is carried out for approximately 15 minutes. Even though the autoclave has a high pressure, it will not kill the microorganisms in it, this high pressure aims to increase the temperature of the steam in the autoclave. When the steam temperature increases this will make the microorganisms killed / dead.
Before using the autoclave, usually the machine operator will check whether the machine is functioning properly or not. This checking process is carried out using several tests, one of them is the Bowie & Dick test. The bowie & dick test is a specific chemical indicator test which is developed to monitor the effectiveness of air removal in pre-vacuum steam sterilizers (mechanical air removal).
The existence of a bowie & dick test aims to ensure that air can be removed correctly and smoothly from the sterilization / autoclave room. The bowie & dick test process on the autoclave is carried out to measure the effectiveness of the air cycle from the initial vacuum phase to the end phase, whether the air contained in the autoclave can escape through the machine cavities or not, and then make sure that the temperature and steam pressure are in accordance with the sterilization parameters during the process.
Why is The Bowie & Dick Test Important for Autoclave Sterilization?
Because the bowie & dick test is a sterilization test tool that is able to detect ineffective pre-vacuum, air-leak, or NCG (Non-condensable gas) cycles effectively and efficiently. If you only use a sensor, it will not be effective to get the accurate results, because the sensor will not be able to detect and track the trapped and hidden source of water-leak or NCG, that's why the sensor on the autoclave also needs the help of a bowie & dick test in autoclave sterilization in the process of removing air. Even if the sensor or other sterilizer is sophisticated and modern, the bowie & dick test will always be used as an additional test in the sterilization process.
In addition, the bowie & dick test can also accurately control the sterilization performance and verify the quality of the steam in the autoclave in accordance with predetermined parameters. This makes the bowie & dick test very important in providing validation criteria for the condition of the tool, and helps detect what the good steam parameters are, so the quality of the steam will not interfere with the sterilization process.
The bowie & dick test is inexpensive, and the test results can be archived sequentially according to the date and day of the test. This makes the Bowie & Dick test not only able to maintain the health and safety tools and operators, but also able to provide accurate and detailed records of the sterilization process.
If you are interested, please visit our website, hartechindonesia.com. We provide bowie & dick test pack products that can help with the sterilization process needs of your laboratory equipment or workplace.
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