Novel and highly reliable leak check tests for drop‐ and external pressure‐type cell‐free and concentrated ascites reinfusion therapy

Abstract

IntroductionFor safe management of cell‐free and concentrated ascites reinfusion therapy (CART), a highly reliable leak test for detecting ascites filter damage is essential. However, such a test has not been established for drop‐type CART.MethodsWe devised two novel leak tests for drop‐ and external pressure‐type CART, manual or pump pressurization methods, using high‐pressure loading and pressure monitoring, and investigated their reliability.ResultsBoth methods could easily load and maintain sufficiently high pressure (>400 Torr) on the hollow fibers for 2 min. No result deviation was noted between different operators. The pressure drops in both methods were identical and significantly lower than those in the leak test using a special CART machine, the e‐CART.ConclusionThe reliability of our revised leak test is equivalent to that of the automatic leak test of e‐CART. These highly reliable leak tests may contribute to safety in patients undergoing drop‐ and external pressure‐type CART.