Cardinal Health Kendall SCD Express

Sleeve Detection / Tubing Connection Error

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Asset Type

Sequential Compression Device (SCD)

Manufacturer

Cardinal Health

Model

Kendall SCD Express

What This Guide Helps With

Troubleshooting sleeve detection, tubing connection, low pressure, high pressure, or garment recognition errors before repair escalation.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

Ensure Patient Safety First

Confirm the SCD is not being actively adjusted on a patient before disconnecting tubing, changing sleeves, or power cycling the controller.

If therapy is required, have clinical staff move the patient to another working SCD controller and compatible sleeves first.

Expected outcome: VTE prevention therapy is maintained while the suspect device is evaluated. The Kendall SCD Express is used for intermittent pneumatic compression therapy to help increase venous blood flow in at-risk patients.

Confirm the Exact Complaint

Ask staff what the device displayed or did.

Check whether the issue involves:

Expected outcome: The issue is narrowed to sleeve, tubing, connection, setup, or controller behavior.

Inspect the Sleeves

Check that the sleeves are the correct type, correct size, properly wrapped, and not torn, punctured, wet, crushed, or heavily worn.

Loose or incorrectly sized sleeves can cause pressure-related alarms. Training material for the Kendall SCD Express notes low pressure alarms may require checking sleeve size and tightness.

Expected outcome: Sleeves are intact, appropriate for the patient, and able to inflate normally.

If replacing or properly applying the sleeves clears the error, return the controller to service after confirming normal operation.

Check Tubing Connection at the Sleeves

Disconnect and reconnect the tubing to each sleeve.

Confirm the tubing connector is fully seated and not partially engaged, loose, cracked, contaminated, or stretched.

Expected outcome: Each sleeve has a firm tubing connection with no obvious leak or loose fitting.

If reseating the tubing clears the error, verify several compression cycles and stop.

Check Tubing Connection at the Controller

Inspect the tubing where it connects to the Kendall SCD Express controller.

Confirm the tubing is connected to the correct port, fully inserted, and not angled, partially seated, or pulling away from the controller during movement.

Expected outcome: The controller can detect the attached sleeve or garment connection without an immediate alarm.

Inspect the Tubing Set

Check the full tubing path from controller to sleeve.

Look for:

High pressure alarms may be caused by tubing that is kinked or trapped.

Expected outcome: Air can move freely from the controller to the sleeve without restriction or leakage.

If correcting a kink or replacing damaged tubing resolves the issue, confirm normal inflation and stop.

Test With Known-Good Sleeves and Tubing

Use a known-good compatible sleeve set and known-good tubing set.

Connect one side, start operation, then test the other side if needed.

Expected outcome: The controller detects the sleeve and begins normal compression.

If the device works with known-good accessories, the original sleeve or tubing set should be removed from use.

Check Single-Limb Versus Dual-Limb Setup

Confirm whether the staff intended to use one sleeve or two sleeves.

If only one limb is connected, verify the device behavior is consistent with single-limb use and that the unused side is not being interpreted as a missing connection.

Expected outcome: The controller configuration matches the connected therapy setup.

Inspect the Controller Ports

Look at the air outlet ports on the controller.

Check for cracked plastic, bent or loose fittings, contamination, missing seals, damaged connector surfaces, or signs that tubing does not lock in securely.

Expected outcome: The tubing can connect firmly to the controller without looseness or air leakage.

If the port is damaged, remove the device from service.

Confirm Alarm Behavior After Restart

With known-good tubing and sleeves installed, power the controller off, wait briefly, and power it back on.

Observe whether the error appears immediately, during sleeve detection, or during inflation.

Expected outcome: The controller starts therapy and maintains normal sleeve detection.

If the error returns immediately with known-good sleeves and tubing, suspect a controller-side detection, pressure sensing, valve, pump, or internal pneumatic issue.

Check for Physical Damage or Contamination

Inspect the controller exterior, power cord, tubing ports, display, buttons, and housing.

Look for:

Expected outcome: No unsafe physical condition is present.

If damage, heat, odor, fluid intrusion, or abnormal pump behavior is found, remove the device from service.

Confirm Final Function Before Return to Use

Allow the controller to run long enough to confirm sleeve detection and repeated inflation cycles.

Expected outcome: No sleeve detection, tubing connection, low pressure, or high pressure alarm returns during verification.

If the device passes with compatible known-good accessories, document the findings and return it to service.

If the Problem Persists

If the Kendall SCD Express continues to show sleeve detection or tubing connection errors after known-good sleeves, known-good tubing, correct setup, and external port checks, common external causes have been ruled out.

The device should be:

At that point, the likely fault may involve internal pressure sensing, pneumatic valves, pump performance, internal tubing, detection circuitry, or controller port damage. Knowing when to stop is proper troubleshooting.

Clinical Use Tip

Do not troubleshoot sleeve detection or tubing alarms on an active patient if therapy may be interrupted. Move the patient to another working SCD first, then evaluate the suspect controller and accessories safely.

Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)

CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution

Complaint

What was reported by the clinical staff.

Example:
"Clinical staff reported the Kendall SCD Express would not detect the connected leg sleeve and alarmed for a tubing connection error."

Cause

What was observed during troubleshooting.

Example:
"Found the tubing connector at the sleeve was partially seated and the sleeve did not inflate consistently."

Resolution

What action was taken.

Example:
"Reseated tubing, tested with known-good sleeves, verified repeated inflation cycles without alarm, and returned the SCD to service."

Helpful Details to Include (If Known)

Final Thought

For SCD troubleshooting, start with patient safety, then verify the simple external items that most often cause detection and tubing errors: sleeve fit, sleeve condition, tubing connection, tubing damage, and controller ports. If the device still fails with known-good accessories, remove it from service and document the findings clearly using the CCR method.

That is successful troubleshooting.

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