Drager Atlan A350

Touchscreen or Rotary Knob Unresponsive

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Asset Type

Anesthesia Machine

Manufacturer

Drager

Model

Atlan A350

What This Guide Helps With

Touch or rotary controls do not respond because of startup state, contamination, accessories, power conditions, software state, physical damage, or control-interface failure.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

1. Protect the Patient and Maintain Control of Anesthesia Delivery

If a touchscreen or rotary control becomes unreliable during clinical use, do not continue relying on the affected user interface. Transition the patient to an appropriate verified anesthesia system when safe and appropriate. Expected outcome: The patient is no longer dependent on equipment with unreliable controls. Troubleshooting can proceed without risking loss of operator control.

2. Confirm Which Control Is Affected

Determine whether the touchscreen, rotary knob, push function, specific screen area, or all user inputs are unresponsive. Record whether displayed information continues updating and whether alarms remain functional. Expected outcome: The fault is narrowed to a specific control or broader interface condition. If all controls operate normally during repeated testing, investigate intermittent causes before release.

3. Inspect for Physical Damage or Contamination

Examine the touchscreen and rotary knob for cracks, fluid residue, adhesive contamination, foreign material, binding, impact damage, or other obvious external problems. Do not apply excessive force or introduce cleaning fluid into openings. Expected outcome: The control surfaces are clean, dry, intact, and unobstructed. If removing approved external contamination restores normal response, continue to final verification.

4. Check for External Objects Affecting the Touchscreen

Remove gloves, covers, labels, protective films, equipment, or other objects that may be unintentionally contacting or obstructing the screen. Confirm the screen surface is dry. Expected outcome: Nothing external interferes with normal touch detection. If touchscreen response returns, test the entire active screen area before return to service.

5. Evaluate Rotary Knob Movement

With the machine out of patient use, verify the rotary knob turns freely and that its press function, if used by the normal interface, is not mechanically stuck. Do not pry, lubricate, or disassemble the control. Expected outcome: The knob moves normally without binding or obvious damage. If mechanical binding remains, remove the machine from service.

6. Verify Stable AC Power

Confirm the machine has stable AC power and is not repeatedly restarting, freezing during startup, or changing behavior with power-source movement. Inspect the external power cord and receptacle condition. Expected outcome: The control problem is not caused by unstable external power. If correcting a power connection restores normal controls, perform complete functional verification.

7. Perform an Approved Restart When Clinically Safe

With no patient dependent on the machine, perform a normal shutdown and restart using the standard operating process. Do not repeatedly power-cycle a machine that displays persistent system faults or appears physically damaged. Expected outcome: The interface initializes normally and both touchscreen and rotary controls respond consistently. If they do, continue through system testing before release.

8. Check for an Accessory or Configuration Relationship

If the problem began after connecting an external accessory or changing the equipment setup, return the machine to its normal approved configuration and retest. Do not enter unauthorized service menus or change protected configuration values. Expected outcome: The controls remain responsive in the normal approved configuration. If an external accessory clearly causes the condition, remove that accessory from use and verify the machine independently.

9. Perform Repeated Control and Functional Testing

Exercise the touchscreen across normal operational areas and verify rotary input repeatedly during a controlled bench test. Confirm menus can be selected, settings can be entered normally, and no intermittent freezing occurs. Complete the applicable system test and alarm verification. Expected outcome: All controls respond consistently throughout repeated testing. If they do, troubleshooting can stop after return-to-service verification.

10. Escalate Any Persistent or Intermittent Control Failure

If either interface remains unresponsive, freezes intermittently, activates unpredictably, or cannot be shown to be reliable, remove the machine from service. Expected outcome: A machine with unreliable operator controls is not returned to clinical use.

If the Problem Persists

External contamination, obstruction, power, normal restart, accessory configuration, and basic control operation have been checked. Remaining possibilities may involve the touchscreen assembly, rotary encoder, control interface electronics, software, internal connection, or other service-level condition. The device should be:

Following repair, verify all user controls repeatedly and complete the applicable startup, system, ventilation, alarm, and return-to-service tests. Knowing when to stop external troubleshooting is proper troubleshooting.

Clinical Use Tip

An intermittently unresponsive control is still a failed control; do not return the machine to service simply because the interface begins working again.

Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)

CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution

Complaint

What was reported by the clinical staff.

Example:
"Anesthesia staff reported the Drager Atlan A350 touchscreen would not respond reliably during room setup."

Cause

What was observed during troubleshooting.

Example:
"Clinical Engineering found dried residue on the touchscreen surface interfering with normal touch input."

Resolution

What action was taken.

Example:
"Clinical Engineering cleaned the touchscreen using the approved procedure, verified consistent touchscreen and rotary-control operation, completed the system test, and returned the machine to service."

Helpful Details to Include (If Known)

Final Thought

Reliable operator controls are essential to safe anesthesia delivery. Rule out simple external causes first, verify the controls repeatedly rather than accepting a temporary recovery, and remove the machine from service when reliability cannot be demonstrated. That is successful troubleshooting.

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