Clinical Evaluations
BRAVO
Consultants’ Comments
- “Dries instruments and pouches better than any other sterilizer.”
- “Easy to use; easy to load/unload.”
- “I like the auto fill and auto drain features.”
- “Somewhat noisy.”
- “Make chamber diameter larger.”
Description
BRAVO is a fractionated vacuum sterilizer that incorporates both pre-vac and post-vac cycles designed for optimum steam penetration and uses only fresh distilled water for every cycle. BRAVO runs self-diagnostics upon initiation and has four pre-sets for the most popular cycles. It is available in two capacities (17 and 21 liter); both units are available in two voltages (120v and 220v), single-button operation and a two-year warranty. Cycle times are in the range of 33 minutes for wrapped cycles to dry. Special features include single use “Pull’n Push” water system; double locking door mechanism; intelligent closed door drying with Dri-Tec technology; and optional internal printer or external data logger. Consultants evaluated both sizes of BRAVO sterilizer with three stainless steel wire instrument trays, stainless steel rack, one container with quick connect for adding distilled water, tubing, and an extra bacteriological filter. BRAVO was evaluated by 10 consultants over a 6-month period and it received a 92% clinical rating.
Equipment Features
BRAVO produced sterilized instrument pouches that were described as “bone dry.” The unit received high ratings for ease of operation, readability of the display, and accessibility to controls. One of the units evaluated was plumbed for an auto-fill/auto-drain feature which increased the convenience substantially. The smaller unit is appropriate for a small, low volume dental practice; all of the consultants preferred the larger unit. The ability to rotate the rack inside the chamber to accommodate cassettes (vertically) or pouches (horizontally) increases its versatility. Fifty percent of consultants rated BRAVO better than their current sterilizer. Fifty percent of consultants would switch to BRAVO and 70% would recommend it.