Malcolm,
The Dart is functionally equivalent to the Bowie-Dick type test in
determining the air removing efficiency of prevacuum steam
sterilizers. The Dart is a pre-assembled test to
evaluate the effectiveness of air removal from the sterilizer chamber
during a prevacuum steam sterilizer cycle. The DART is
designed for use in a 132E-134EC prevacuum cycle with an exposure time of
3-1/2 to 4 minutes. Following a pre-vacuum cycle, the chemical bars
of the DART indicator strip change to a uniform black color, indicating
that residual air has been sufficiently removed from the Dart to allow
complete steam penetration. If air is trapped in the Dart during
the exposure phase of the cycle, all of the chemical bars on the Dart
indicator strip will not be uniformly black. Thus the Dart can
provide an immediate indication of inadequate removal of air during a
cycle. If you have questions about a specific application please
contact me offline.
Gary Butler
STERIS Corporation
814-870-8508
Gary_Butler@steris.com
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