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What This Guide Helps With
Troubleshooting restricted, inadequate, or excessive waste-gas evacuation caused by hoses, connections, suction settings, receiving systems, or external scavenging components.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
1. Ensure Patient Safety First
Do not perform extended scavenging troubleshooting while the Aisys CS2 is supporting an active patient.
If scavenging performance becomes questionable during a procedure:
- Notify the anesthesia provider immediately.
- Confirm that ventilation, gas delivery, airway pressure, oxygen concentration, and patient monitoring remain functional.
- Minimize personnel exposure to waste anesthetic gas according to facility policy.
- Transfer the patient to another verified anesthesia machine when reliable operation cannot be confirmed.
- Follow the facility’s anesthesia-equipment failure procedure.
Expected outcome: Patient care continues safely without relying on equipment with unresolved scavenging performance.
Continue troubleshooting only after the machine has been removed from active patient use.
2. Confirm the Exact Failure Condition
Determine whether the reported issue involves:
- Weak or absent waste-gas evacuation
- Excessive suction or evacuation
- A full, collapsed, or unresponsive scavenging reservoir
- Elevated breathing-system pressure
- A scavenging or evacuation-related message
- An issue occurring only when connected to the facility disposal system
Record the complete alarm, advisory, or observed behavior.
Expected outcome: The failure condition is clearly identified before components are changed.
3. Inspect the Scavenging Hose and Connections
Check the scavenging transfer hose from the anesthesia machine to the facility waste-gas disposal connection.
Verify that the hose is:
- Fully connected at both ends
- Not kinked, crushed, pinched, or sharply bent
- Not blocked by debris or accumulated moisture
- Free from visible cracks, splits, or loose fittings
- The correct hose and connector for the installed scavenging configuration
Straighten or reconnect the hose as needed.
Expected outcome: Waste gas has an open and properly connected path to the disposal system.
If normal scavenging operation returns, complete an operational checkout and stop troubleshooting.
4. Check the Facility Evacuation Connection
Confirm that the scavenging hose is connected to the correct wall outlet or waste anesthetic gas disposal connection.
Inspect the outlet for:
- A loose or partially seated connector
- Visible damage or contamination
- Incorrect connection to a vacuum or suction outlet
- Missing facility suction
- Excessive suction at the connection
When permitted, test the machine using another verified scavenging outlet or approved test connection.
Expected outcome: The facility evacuation source is available and appropriate for the anesthesia machine.
If the problem follows the wall outlet, notify Facilities or the department responsible for the waste-gas disposal system.
5. Inspect the Scavenging Interface Externally
Inspect all externally accessible scavenging interface components.
Look for:
- A reservoir bag that remains continuously full
- A reservoir bag that remains fully collapsed
- A stuck, obstructed, or damaged visible valve
- Loose fittings
- Damaged tubing
- Moisture, contamination, or foreign material
- Components that are incorrectly assembled after cleaning or service
Do not disassemble internal valves or regulated assemblies unless authorized by the manufacturer’s service documentation.
Expected outcome: External scavenging components are clean, correctly assembled, and able to move normally.
6. Evaluate the Reservoir Response
With the machine off patient and connected to a verified test circuit, operate the system under controlled conditions.
Observe the scavenging reservoir:
- A reservoir that continually expands may indicate inadequate evacuation or a downstream restriction.
- A reservoir that remains tightly collapsed may indicate excessive evacuation or an incorrectly adjusted disposal system.
- A reservoir that responds normally suggests that evacuation flow is available.
Do not intentionally create unsafe pressure within the breathing system.
Expected outcome: The reservoir responds to waste-gas flow without remaining overfilled or continuously collapsed.
7. Check Adjustable Scavenging Flow Controls
If the installed scavenging configuration includes an externally adjustable flow indicator or control, verify that it is set according to facility practice and the approved operating instructions.
Check for:
- A control set too low
- A control set excessively high
- A flow indicator outside its normal operating range
- A control that is stuck or does not respond to adjustment
Do not adjust facility vacuum regulators without authorization.
Expected outcome: Evacuation flow is sufficient to remove waste gas without applying excessive negative pressure.
8. Inspect Connected Accessories
Check accessories that may affect scavenging performance, including:
- Gas-monitor sample exhaust or return tubing
- Auxiliary breathing-system connections
- Suction accessories located near the scavenging assembly
- Adapters added between the machine and disposal hose
- Nonstandard tubing or connectors
Remove unnecessary adapters and replace questionable accessories with verified compatible components.
Expected outcome: No external accessory is restricting, diverting, or incorrectly applying suction to the scavenging pathway.
9. Rule Out a Breathing-System Restriction
Inspect the breathing circuit and externally accessible breathing-system components for conditions that may resemble a scavenging fault.
Check for:
- Kinked inspiratory or expiratory tubing
- Blocked filters or heat-moisture exchangers
- Excess moisture
- Incorrectly installed breathing-system components
- An obstructed adjustable pressure-limiting valve
- A damaged or incorrectly connected reservoir bag
Expected outcome: Elevated pressure or poor gas evacuation is not being caused by a separate breathing-circuit restriction.
10. Disconnect the Facility Evacuation for Comparison
With the machine off patient and in a controlled test environment, disconnect the scavenging hose from the facility disposal connection when permitted by facility policy.
Observe whether:
- A collapsed reservoir returns to normal
- Abnormal negative pressure disappears
- The scavenging behavior changes significantly
Limit the test duration and prevent unnecessary release of anesthetic vapor.
Expected outcome: A significant improvement when disconnected suggests excessive facility suction or a downstream disposal-system problem.
11. Restart and Complete the System Checkout
After correcting external connections or replacing accessories:
- Power the Aisys CS2 off normally.
- Allow the shutdown process to complete.
- Restore all verified connections.
- Restart the system.
- Complete the required pre-use checkout, leak testing, and ventilation testing.
- Confirm normal airway pressure and scavenging reservoir behavior.
Expected outcome: The machine completes checkout without scavenging-related abnormalities.
If the checkout passes and evacuation remains stable, return the device to service according to departmental policy.
If the Problem Persists
If the scavenging hose, facility outlet, external interface, reservoir, accessories, breathing circuit, and operating setup have been verified, the fault may involve an internal scavenging valve, interface assembly, pressure-relief component, obstruction, or other internal pneumatic problem.
The device should be:
- Removed from service
- Labeled Out of Service
- Sent for qualified repair or bench evaluation
- Tested using the approved GE Healthcare service procedures before being returned to clinical use
Do not continue making adjustments when proper evacuation or breathing-system pressure cannot be verified. Knowing when to stop and escalate is proper troubleshooting.
Clinical Use Tip
Never troubleshoot unresolved scavenging or breathing-system pressure problems on an active patient. Move the patient to another verified anesthesia machine before performing extended testing.
Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)
CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution
Complaint
What was reported by the clinical staff.
Example:
"Anesthesia staff reported that the Aisys CS2 scavenging reservoir remained full and waste-gas evacuation appeared inadequate."
Cause
What was observed during troubleshooting.
Example:
"The AGSS transfer hose was found kinked behind the anesthesia machine, restricting flow to the facility evacuation outlet."
Resolution
What action was taken.
Example:
"Repositioned and inspected the hose, verified normal reservoir movement, completed system checkout and leak testing, and returned the machine to service."
Helpful Details to Include (If Known)
- Exact alarm or advisory displayed
- Whether the reservoir was full or collapsed
- Scavenging hose condition
- Wall outlet tested
- Alternate outlet tested
- Facility suction availability
- Flow-indicator position
- Accessories removed or replaced
- Breathing-circuit condition
- Unusual sounds
- Unusual heat or smell
- Checkout and leak-test results
- Final device status
Final Thought
Scavenging faults can involve the anesthesia machine, connecting hose, facility evacuation system, or breathing-circuit setup. Patient safety, external-first troubleshooting, controlled testing, appropriate escalation, and complete CCR documentation are essential.
That is successful troubleshooting.