Flow measurement of the environmental test chamber for Closed System Transfer Device test protocol*

A closed system transfer device (CSTD) should be used when cytotoxic or hazardous drugs are prepared and administered in any clinical setting. In order to make sure the CSTD is working correctly, a performance test (leakage test) in an environmental test chamber needs to be conducted. A draft of this Performance Test Protocol for CSTD has been developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and it is open for improvements. This study aims to fill in some critical missing information in this test protocol by conducting flow field measurements in the environmental test chamber. Specifically: (1) Flow rate and duration during air purge of the chamber; (2) Location and flow rate of air sampling pump during CSTD operation; and (3) duration of air sampling after CSTD operation. This study provides valuable information on the effectiveness of this CSTD performance test protocol and possible ways to improve this protocol.