Around 60% of patients suffering from liver cirrhosis develop ascites, which is therefore among the most occurring complications. The development of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is considered as one of the important causes of morbidity and mortality in cirrhotic patients with ascites. Although many patients with ascites are asymptomatic, it is of considerable importance to control potential SBP as it is associated with high mortality. Around 10% – 30% of cirrhotic patients develop a SBP. It has been shown that calprotectin levels in ascitic fluid correlate well with the PMN (peripheral mononuclear cells) count, which is the standard diagnostic procedure.

Generally, calprotectin serves as marker for inflammation as it is one of the most abundant proteins in the cell cytoplasm of neutrophils. Therefore, it is an ideal target to monitor potential inflammatory conditions induced by SPB. The Quantum Blue^® system provides a reliable point of care test for patients suffering from liver cirrhosis or other diseases accompanied by ascites accumulation in the peritoneum and shows high agreement with standard laboratory procedures such as the PMN count (Burri et al., 2013, Calprotectin in ascites, World J Gastroentero).

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