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What This Guide Helps With
Troubleshoots low or unstable delivered flow associated with setup, tubing, interface, obstruction, settings, gas supply, or environmental conditions.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
1. Protect the Patient and Maintain Therapy
Treat inadequate or unstable flow as a therapy reliability issue. Move the patient to appropriate verified respiratory support before performing troubleshooting that could interrupt flow.
Expected outcome: Required therapy continues safely while the Airvo 3 is evaluated.
2. Confirm the Reported Flow Problem
Determine whether low flow is indicated by the device, measured during technical testing, perceived by staff, or associated with alarms or unstable operation. Record the configured flow setting and any displayed message.
Expected outcome: The reported condition is clearly characterized.
3. Check the Patient Interface
Inspect the nasal interface or other approved patient interface for incorrect sizing, disconnection, damage, obstruction, or poor positioning.
Expected outcome: The interface is intact, correctly connected, and appropriately positioned. Correcting an external interface problem restores expected delivery.
4. Inspect the Heated Breathing Tube
Check the full accessible tubing path for kinks, crushing, excessive bending, disconnection, water accumulation, damage, or obstruction.
Expected outcome: The breathing tube is open, intact, and securely connected.
5. Inspect the Humidifier Chamber and Gas Path
Verify correct chamber installation and inspect accessible gas-path connections for poor seating, damage, or obstruction.
Expected outcome: External gas-path components are assembled correctly and do not restrict airflow.
6. Verify the Configured Flow Setting
Confirm that the displayed flow setting matches the intended clinical setup. Do not change prescribed therapy settings solely for troubleshooting unless authorized and performed in a nonclinical test condition.
Expected outcome: The device configuration matches the intended setting and the symptom is not caused by an incorrect control setting.
7. Check Oxygen and External Gas Connections When Used
If supplemental oxygen is connected, inspect the external oxygen tubing, connectors, supply source, and routing. Confirm that gas-supply problems are not affecting overall system operation.
Expected outcome: External gas connections are secure and available as intended.
8. Substitute Known-Good External Components
Using approved compatible components, substitute the breathing tube, chamber, interface, or relevant external accessory one component at a time when an accessory problem remains possible.
Expected outcome: Flow becomes stable if an external component was responsible. Replace the identified defective component.
9. Verify Delivered Performance
In a controlled nonpatient test setup, verify that the device produces stable flow using appropriate approved test equipment and manufacturer-defined service methods where required.
Do not invent acceptable flow tolerances.
Expected outcome: Delivered performance meets applicable manufacturer criteria. If verified, troubleshooting can stop after completing return-to-service testing.
10. Escalate Persistent Flow Instability
If settings, circuit components, gas supply, connections, and external restrictions are correct but delivered flow remains low or unstable, stop external troubleshooting.
Expected outcome: The Airvo 3 is removed from service for qualified evaluation of its flow-generation and sensing systems.
If the Problem Persists
External tubing, patient interface, humidifier chamber, configuration, oxygen supply, and obvious restrictions have been ruled out. Persistent low or unstable flow may involve the blower, flow sensing, internal gas path, control electronics, software, or another service-level condition.
Remove the device from service, label it Out of Service, and send it for bench evaluation or repair. Use appropriate manufacturer documentation and approved respiratory test equipment. Internal adjustment or repair should be performed only by qualified personnel.
Before return to service, verify delivered flow, alarms, controls, humidification, and overall operation according to applicable procedures. Correct escalation is preferable to continued troubleshooting of unreliable respiratory equipment.
Clinical Use Tip
Never use perceived airflow alone to judge whether an Airvo 3 is delivering therapy correctly; verify performance with the appropriate clinical or technical indicators.
Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)
CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution
Complaint
What was reported by the clinical staff.
Example:
"Clinical staff reported that airflow from the Airvo 3 was intermittently low during setup."
Cause
What was observed during troubleshooting.
Example:
"Clinical Engineering found the heated breathing tube was sharply kinked behind the equipment stand."
Resolution
What action was taken.
Example:
"Clinical Engineering corrected the tubing routing, verified stable airflow and normal alarms, and completed functional verification before return to service."
Helpful Details to Include (If Known)
- Reported versus configured flow
- Relevant alarm or displayed message
- Patient interface condition
- Tubing condition and routing
- Humidifier chamber installation
- Supplemental oxygen connection
- Known-good substitutions performed
- Test equipment used
- Performance before and after correction
- Final device status
Final Thought
When flow is unreliable, protect the patient and verify the complete external gas path, settings, accessories, and supply conditions before suspecting internal flow-generation problems. Validate the correction, escalate appropriately, and record what was actually found.
That is successful troubleshooting.