Abstract

PERFORMANCE STUDY OF PACK BOWIE-DICK TEST READY: CASE STUDY OF FIVE MARKS

Wiame Lakhlili, Samira Serragui, Sanaa Makram, Soufiane Derraji 

Abstract

Sterilization is one of the special processes whose results cannot be fully verified by a final control of the product. For this reason it is necessary to ensure the validation of sterilization processes before implementation and monitoring or routine checks. The Bowie-Dick test is one of the controls of the steam penetration in sterilization process. A device widely used but subject to various interpretations especially with the multiplicity of brand and suppliers. To answer some number of questions about the quality of the brands available in our public hospitals, we conducted a comparative analysis of five brands of the Bowie-Dick test under standardized conditions and with a qualified autoclave and varying the two parameters of this test: the temperature and time. The results obtained showed that the different tests were fired completely for the ten different combinations time/temperature. This suggests that the applied temperature exceeds the T° of the turn of the indicator of the test and therefore the shift occurs because the temperature is high despite the time is specified. The BD test is an essential test but insufficient to validate a sterilization cycle, hence the need of a set of additional controls to release sterilization load.

Keywords: Bowie-Dick, Sterilization, Control.