Hygiene Atlas

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Bowie-Dick (air-removal) test

Also called: air removal test, DART

A daily test that checks a prevacuum sterilizer is removing all the air.

Prevacuum (vacuum-type) steam sterilizers must pull all the air out of the chamber so steam can reach every surface. The Bowie-Dick test is a special indicator sheet or pack that shows an even color change if air removal worked. CDC says to run it each day the sterilizer is used, before the first load, in an empty chamber. It does not apply to gravity displacement sterilizers.

How to spot it

  1. A test pack or sheet labeled Bowie-Dick or air removal test.

What you do

  1. Run it first thing in the morning on the cycle the test's maker specifies; file the result.

Safety and care

  1. If it fails, do not use the sterilizer until it is inspected and passes.

Related

Sources: CDC. Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities (2008): Steam Sterilization, CDC. Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities (2008): Sterilizing Practices, CDC. Guidelines for Infection Control in Dental Health-Care Settings, 2003. MMWR 2003;52(RR-17), STERIS. 6 ISO Types of Chemical Indicators for Steam Sterilization