Inspection for ensuring the safe use of medical devices is an essential work for patients’ safety in clinical settings. Only basic checking appearance and operations of the intermittent pneumatic compression devices (IPCD), which can prevent venous thromboembolism, had been conducted, but any specific inspections did not. Although the vinyl tube that connects the device to pressurized sleeves worn on the lower limbs can break easily, there were no ways to conduct a thorough leak check of the tube in demand. We co-developed with a local manufacturing company an intermittent pneumatic compression device tester (IPCD tester) that can assess the air pressure value in the IPCD compressor circuit and alert the air leak. The IPCD tester can also assess the tube and its connector. We used this tester and screened troubles of the IPCDs in our hospital. The tester could detect failures of the IPCDs easily and consequently we repaired them. The tester thus prevented the broken IPCDs to be supplied to patients, which can have an enough potential to prevent the venous thromboembolism.
