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What This Guide Helps With
Troubleshooting frozen, delayed, inaccurate, or unavailable touchscreen and physical-control inputs caused by contamination, accessories, software state, power, or control failure.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
1. Ensure Patient Safety First
Do not troubleshoot unreliable controls while the Novum IQ is delivering medication to a patient.
- Notify nursing and the appropriate clinical team.
- Transfer the infusion to another verified pump when interruption or loss of control could affect patient care.
- Clamp the administration set as clinically appropriate before unloading an LVP set.
- Prevent unintended bolus, free flow, delayed therapy, or medication interruption.
- Independently verify the patient’s infusion status before continuing.
Expected outcome: The patient is safely supported without depending on a pump that cannot be reliably controlled.
If the touchscreen or controls cannot be used to stop or modify an active infusion, follow the facility’s emergency medication-management procedure and remove the pump from patient use.
2. Identify the Exact Control Failure
Determine whether the problem involves:
- The entire touchscreen.
- One section of the touchscreen.
- Delayed or inaccurate touch response.
- A blank or frozen display.
- A specific physical button.
- All physical controls.
- Controls that respond only intermittently.
- A screen that changes without intentional input.
Record any displayed message, error code, alarm, or unusual screen behavior.
Expected outcome: The affected input and failure pattern are clearly identified.
3. Check for an Active Screen or Control Lock
Determine whether a screen-lock, control-lock, confirmation window, alarm message, or other operating state is preventing normal input.
Follow the approved operating instructions to unlock the controls or acknowledge the displayed condition. Do not repeatedly press controls without understanding the active screen.
Expected outcome: Normal control operation returns after the active lock or prompt is cleared.
If the issue is resolved, verify operation and stop troubleshooting.
4. Inspect the Touchscreen Surface
Examine the screen for:
- IV fluid, medication, cleaning solution, or condensation.
- Adhesive residue.
- Dirt or dried contamination.
- Cracks, punctures, or impact damage.
- A loose or unauthorized protective film.
- Pressure from an accessory, mount, or surrounding equipment.
Remove the pump from power before cleaning when required by facility procedure. Clean and dry the screen only with approved products and methods.
Do not allow fluid to enter the housing or control openings.
Expected outcome: The screen is clean, dry, unobstructed, and undamaged.
If touchscreen operation returns, complete a functional check and stop.
5. Verify Touchscreen Technique
Test the screen using a clean, dry, ungloved finger when safe to do so.
Avoid using pens, sharp objects, fingernails, or excessive force. Thick gloves, wet gloves, or contact near the edge of a control may prevent accurate input.
Test several screen locations using normal pressure.
Expected outcome: The screen responds consistently to intentional touch without excessive force.
6. Inspect the Physical Controls
Check each accessible physical control for:
- Sticking or binding.
- Visible contamination.
- Cracks or impact damage.
- A damaged or missing button surface.
- Unusual looseness.
- A control being held down by a cover, mount, or nearby object.
Do not spray cleaner directly around buttons or attempt to pry a stuck control free.
Expected outcome: Each control moves normally and is free of external obstruction.
If contamination cannot be removed without opening the housing, stop and escalate the device for service.
7. Check the Pump Installation and Accessories
Confirm that:
- The pump is securely mounted.
- The pole clamp or mounting accessory is not distorting the housing.
- No accessory presses against the touchscreen or controls.
- Cables are not pulling against the pump.
- The device has not been dropped or struck.
- No fluid container is positioned where leakage can reach the controls.
Temporarily remove nonessential external accessories when safe and retest the controls.
Expected outcome: The controls remain responsive without pressure or interference from the installation.
8. Check External Power
Confirm that the AC power cord and power supply connections are fully seated and undamaged.
Test the outlet with an approved electrical tester or connect the pump to a known-good receptacle. Observe whether the external-power and charging indications remain stable.
Unstable power may produce freezing, restarting, or incomplete startup behavior.
Expected outcome: The pump receives stable external power without restarting or changing operating state.
9. Perform a Controlled Restart
After the pump has been removed from patient use:
- Stop any simulated or test infusion.
- Unload the administration set or syringe according to the approved operating procedure.
- Power the pump off normally.
- Disconnect external power briefly.
- Reconnect the pump to a known-good power source.
- Restart the pump and allow initialization to finish without pressing controls repeatedly.
Do not use repeated power cycling as a permanent correction.
Expected outcome: The pump starts normally and all controls respond consistently.
If the pump freezes again, fails to shut down normally, or requires repeated restarts, remove it from service.
10. Test the Controls Without Patient Connection
Using the facility-approved test setup:
- Navigate through multiple screens.
- Test controls in different screen locations.
- Enter and correct test values.
- Confirm that each physical control performs its intended function.
- Start and stop a simulated infusion.
- Verify that alarms and confirmation prompts can be acknowledged.
- Allow the pump to operate long enough to identify intermittent freezing.
Do not return the pump to service based only on one successful button press.
Expected outcome: All touchscreen areas and physical controls operate accurately and repeatedly throughout a simulated infusion.
11. Evaluate Blank or Frozen Run-Screen Behavior
If the pump displays a blank or frozen Run screen during operation, do not assume that the infusion status can be safely determined from the display.
Remove the pump from clinical use and check whether the facility has an active Baxter correction, software update, or device-specific instruction applicable to the pump’s serial number and software version.
Do not improvise corrective procedures from memory. Follow the current Baxter communication and facility-approved response.
Expected outcome: The pump is managed according to current manufacturer instructions and is not returned to use with unresolved screen behavior.
12. Check for Applicable Software or Service Actions
Record the pump’s:
- Serial number.
- Software version.
- Pump type, such as large-volume or syringe pump.
- Error codes.
- Exact screen behavior.
- Frequency of the failure.
Check the facility’s recall and corrective-action records for applicable Baxter updates, software actions, or service requirements.
Clinical Engineering should not independently install unapproved software or alter device configuration.
Expected outcome: Required manufacturer actions are identified and completed through the approved process.
If the Problem Persists
If the touchscreen or physical controls remain unresponsive after external contamination, obstruction, accessories, power, operating state, and controlled restart have been evaluated, the failure is likely internal.
The device should be:
- Removed from service.
- Labeled Out of Service.
- Secured so it cannot return to clinical use.
- Sent for qualified bench evaluation or Baxter-authorized repair.
Possible internal causes include a failed touchscreen assembly, keypad, control interface, display assembly, internal connection, power subsystem, or software-related fault.
Do not open the housing or continue cycling power unless authorized by the applicable service documentation. Knowing when to stop is proper troubleshooting.
Clinical Use Tip
Never troubleshoot unreliable pump controls during an active high-risk infusion. Move therapy to another verified pump first and independently confirm the programmed medication, concentration, rate, volume, and remaining dose.
Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)
CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution
Complaint
What was reported by the clinical staff.
Example:
"Nursing reported that the Baxter Novum IQ touchscreen stopped responding and the infusion settings could not be changed."
Cause
What was observed during troubleshooting.
Example:
"The touchscreen remained unresponsive after cleaning, accessory removal, known-good external power, and a controlled restart, indicating an internal control-system failure."
Resolution
What action was taken.
Example:
"Removed the pump from service, applied an Out of Service label, documented the software version and failure behavior, and sent the unit for bench evaluation."
Helpful Details to Include (If Known)
- Pump type: LVP or syringe pump
- Exact touchscreen area affected
- Physical buttons affected
- Display blank, frozen, or delayed
- Error codes or alarm messages
- Outlet tested
- External-power status
- Screen cleaned and dried
- Evidence of fluid intrusion
- Cracks or impact damage
- Accessories removed
- Software version
- Restart results
- Failure during startup or infusion
- Intermittent or continuous behavior
- Applicable correction or recall checked
- Final device status
Final Thought
Unresponsive infusion-pump controls can prevent safe programming, alarm response, or therapy interruption. Protect the patient first, eliminate external causes logically, and escalate repeatable or unexplained failures with complete documentation.
That is successful troubleshooting.