The authors of the letter to the editor comment on the following publication: “False positive results of Bowie and Dick type test used for hospital steam sterilizer with slower come-up ramps: A case study”.
The objective of the mentioned article was to determine if the standardized Bowie and Dick (B&D) type test for hospital steam sterilizers is correctly indicating cycle failures in slower come-up ramps cycles.
That scarcity has given rise to initiatives, attempts and experiments aimed at reprocessing single-use medical devices.
The protocols and recommendations we have seen emerge in this race against time could not of course meet the standards.

The present study investigated the formation and fixation of silicate deposits during steam sterilization. First, transfer of silicic acid from the feed water into the sterilization steam onto the sterile supplies was analysed in theory by comparing the process parameters of all substeps of a typical steam sterilization process with a solubility diagram for silicic acid in water and in steam.

The Bowie-Dick (BD) test is performed daily as well as in the weekly, quarterly, annual and revalidation tests. When an autoclave undergoes a maintenance or repair procedure, the autoclave should return to service in a short time in the busy environment of acute care units: an operating theater and so on.