Bowie & Dick test for autoclaves

The Bowie & Dick test is the check that confirms, before sterilising, that the autoclave can draw a proper vacuum. If an air pocket remains in the chamber, the steam does not reach every part of the load, and gauze, drapes and pouches can come out of the cycle non-sterile even when the display shows everything as normal.

The pack simulates exactly that, a porous load: inside it there is a sheet with a pattern printed in steam-sensitive ink. Place it alone in the chamber and start the autoclave's Bowie & Dick programme. At the end of the cycle, look at the sheet: if the pattern has changed colour evenly, air and steam behaved as they should; if the centre stays lighter than the edges, air was left in the chamber and the autoclave must be checked before use.

It is used on autoclaves that have a Bowie & Dick programme, such as Class B fractionated vacuum models, alongside the other checks: the Helix test for hollow instruments, chemical integrators inside the pouches, spores for the biological test.

Features

• Single-use test pack for steam sterilisation
• Indicator sheet, with the colour change chart printed on the pack
• Complies with ISO 11140-4, classes 2 and 4
• Non-toxic, lead-free

Technical data

• Test cycles stated on the pack: 134 °C for 3.5 minutes or 121 °C for 15 minutes
• Pack: 1 test