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What This Guide Helps With
Use when wash solution, water, waste handling, drainage, or other fluid movement prevents normal analyzer operation.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
1. Protect Personnel, Specimens, and Patient Testing
Stop testing if fluidics reliability is uncertain or if leakage is present. Treat analyzer waste and leaked fluids according to applicable biohazard precautions.
Expected outcome: Personnel are protected and patient testing is not performed on an analyzer with unreliable fluid handling.
2. Confirm the Exact Fluidics Condition
Determine whether the issue involves wash supply, water, waste, drainage, a full container, leak indication, or a general fluidics message. Record the displayed status.
Expected outcome: The affected external fluid path or subsystem is identified.
3. Inspect External Fluid Supplies
Check accessible wash or other required fluid containers for adequate supply, correct placement, secure caps or connections, collapsed tubing, or visible contamination.
Expected outcome: Required fluid supplies are available and connected correctly.
4. Inspect Waste Containers and Drains
Verify external waste containers are not full and drain lines are not visibly kinked, disconnected, pinched, or positioned improperly. Observe appropriate biohazard precautions.
Expected outcome: Waste has a clear external path and containers have available capacity.
5. Inspect Accessible Tubing and Connections
Look for loose fittings, air gaps, kinks, leaks, discoloration, or tubing that was recently disturbed. Do not open internal fluidics assemblies.
Expected outcome: Accessible fluid connections are secure and free of obvious restriction or leakage.
6. Check for Spills or Leaks
Inspect around and beneath the analyzer for unexpected fluid. If the source is unknown, the leak is significant, or liquid has reached electrical components, remove power only when safe and remove the analyzer from service.
Expected outcome: No uncontrolled leak or electrical exposure hazard is present.
7. Correct Simple External Conditions and Recheck Status
Replace or properly seat approved external fluids, empty approved waste containers, or correct external tubing position according to normal service or laboratory procedures.
Expected outcome: The fluidics fault clears and the analyzer restores normal fluid handling. If successful, continue with verification.
8. Perform Functional and QC Verification
Confirm the analyzer completes the applicable wash or fluid-handling operation without recurrence. Perform required QC before patient testing resumes.
Expected outcome: Fluid handling remains stable and required QC is acceptable. Troubleshooting can stop.
If the Problem Persists
External fluid supplies, waste handling, tubing position, and visible leaks have been ruled out. The remaining issue may involve pumps, valves, internal tubing, pressure or level sensing, wash mechanisms, drainage components, or another service-level fluidics subsystem.
Remove the analyzer from service, label it Out of Service, and arrange qualified evaluation using Beckman Coulter documentation and approved test equipment. Internal fluidics repair should be performed only by qualified personnel.
Return the analyzer to service only after leak-free operation, reliable fluid movement, and required QC verification.
Knowing when to stop external troubleshooting and escalate is proper troubleshooting.
Clinical Use Tip
Treat unexplained fluid under or inside the analyzer as both a contamination and electrical-safety concern until the source is identified.
Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)
CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution
Complaint
What was reported by the clinical staff.
Example:
"Laboratory staff reported a recurring waste-system fault on the DxC 700 AU."
Cause
What was observed during troubleshooting.
Example:
"Clinical Engineering found the external waste tubing kinked behind the analyzer and restricting drainage."
Resolution
What action was taken.
Example:
"The tubing was repositioned without kinks, normal waste flow was verified, and the analyzer completed operational checks and QC successfully."
Helpful Details to Include (If Known)
- Exact fluidics or waste message
- Fluid supply levels
- Waste container status
- Drain condition
- External tubing condition
- Evidence of leakage
- Recent container or tubing replacement
- Whether the fault cleared after correction
- QC result
- Final analyzer status
Final Thought
Fluidics faults should be approached from the outside in: supplies, waste, drains, tubing, and visible leaks before internal components are considered. Protect personnel and patient testing, escalate unresolved faults, and verify stable operation before return to service.
That is successful troubleshooting.