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What This Guide Helps With
Troubleshooting vaporizer recognition, anesthetic-agent selection, or electronic agent-control failures caused by setup, agent supply, configuration, connections, or system faults.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
1. Ensure Patient Safety First
Do not perform extended vaporizer or agent-control troubleshooting while the Aisys CS2 is supporting an active patient.
If agent delivery becomes unavailable, unstable, or inconsistent with the selected concentration:
- Notify the anesthesia provider immediately.
- Confirm ventilation, oxygen delivery, airway pressures, and respiratory-gas monitoring.
- Have the provider establish an approved alternate anesthetic plan.
- Transfer the patient to another verified anesthesia machine when reliable agent delivery cannot be confirmed.
- Maintain independent gas monitoring throughout the transition.
Expected outcome: Patient care no longer depends on equipment with uncertain anesthetic-agent delivery.
Continue troubleshooting only after the machine is safely removed from active patient use.
2. Confirm the Exact Failure Condition
Record the complete displayed alarm, advisory, or system message.
Determine whether the problem involves:
- No agent available for selection
- Incorrect agent identified
- Agent concentration cannot be adjusted
- Selected concentration returns to zero
- Agent output is lower or higher than expected
- End-tidal agent control will not start
- Agent-control mode exits automatically
- Failure occurring with one agent cassette or container only
Expected outcome: The failure is clearly defined and can be reproduced under controlled conditions.
If the condition cannot be reproduced, document the original message and inspect the event or alarm history when available.
3. Verify the Machine Has Completed Startup Successfully
Restart the Aisys CS2 only after it is off patient and safe to power-cycle.
Allow the machine to complete its normal startup checks without interrupting the sequence. The Aisys CS2 uses an electronically controlled vaporization system, so startup or system-check failures may prevent normal agent control.
Expected outcome: The system completes startup without vaporization, agent-delivery, or gas-control errors.
If the same error returns during startup, continue troubleshooting.
4. Check the Anesthetic-Agent Supply
Verify that:
- The correct agent is installed for the intended procedure.
- The agent supply is not empty or below the usable level.
- The fill cap, closure, or connection is fully secured.
- There are no visible leaks, spills, cracks, or damaged external components.
- The agent container or cassette is compatible with the machine’s configuration.
- The agent has not been placed in the wrong filling system.
Do not add or drain anesthetic agent unless trained and authorized under facility policy.
Expected outcome: The correct agent is present, adequately filled, properly closed, and free of visible damage.
If correcting the agent supply resolves recognition or control, complete the system checkout and stop.
5. Inspect the Agent Cassette or Vaporization Assembly Externally
With the machine powered down as required by facility procedure:
- Confirm the cassette or removable agent component is fully inserted.
- Remove and reseat it using normal operator-accessible handling only.
- Check for contamination, liquid residue, bent external contacts, damaged latches, or foreign material.
- Confirm the locking mechanism fully engages.
- Do not force a component that does not seat normally.
Expected outcome: The component installs smoothly, locks securely, and is recognized after startup.
If reseating restores recognition, perform a complete checkout before returning the machine to service.
6. Test With a Known-Good Compatible Agent Component
When another compatible and verified agent cassette, container, or removable component is available:
- Install the known-good component.
- Restart the machine if required.
- Confirm whether the correct agent is identified.
- Verify that the concentration control becomes available.
Do not cross-fill agents or use a component with uncertain contents.
Expected outcome:
- If the known-good component works, the original component is likely defective, contaminated, empty, or improperly identified.
- If neither component works, the fault is more likely associated with the machine’s recognition or electronic vaporization system.
Remove a failed agent component from use and label it appropriately.
7. Confirm Agent Selection and Control Settings
Review the displayed gas-delivery settings and verify:
- The intended anesthetic agent is selected.
- The agent concentration is not set to zero.
- Fresh-gas settings are appropriate for the test setup.
- The system is not in a mode that intentionally suspends agent delivery.
- No configuration, case-start, or standby condition is preventing output.
- The selected agent and available agent supply agree.
Expected outcome: The selected agent and concentration remain displayed without immediately resetting or becoming unavailable.
If correcting a setting restores control, verify agent output with approved test equipment and stop.
8. Evaluate End-Tidal Control Separately
If the complaint occurs only when using End-tidal Control:
- Confirm manual fresh-gas and agent control are functional first.
- Verify required gas measurements are present and stable.
- Check that the sampling line, water trap, airway module, and gas-monitoring connections are properly installed.
- Confirm the system’s End-tidal Control check completes successfully.
- Review any displayed reason for increased flow, automatic exit, or inability to start.
GE documentation indicates that End-tidal Control performs a system check before control begins and depends on the associated system and gas measurements functioning correctly.
Expected outcome: End-tidal Control starts and maintains the selected targets without automatically exiting.
If manual agent control works but End-tidal Control does not, investigate the gas-measurement and control prerequisites before suspecting the vaporization hardware.
9. Check the Gas-Monitoring Sample Path
Inspect the external sampling system for:
- Disconnected or kinked sample tubing
- Occluded or contaminated sampling lines
- A full or improperly seated water trap
- Incorrect sampling location
- Moisture in the sample path
- Missing inspired or expired agent values
- Unstable CO₂ or agent waveforms
Replace disposable sampling components with compatible known-good items when appropriate.
Expected outcome: Respiratory-gas and anesthetic-agent measurements appear stable and plausible.
If restoring gas measurements resolves automatic agent-control failure, complete the system checkout and stop.
10. Verify Gas Supplies and Fresh-Gas Delivery
Confirm:
- Pipeline gas hoses are fully connected.
- Pipeline pressures are within the facility’s acceptable range.
- Backup cylinders are adequately filled where required.
- Oxygen and carrier-gas flow are available.
- No gas-supply alarms remain active.
- Fresh-gas flow responds normally to adjustments.
Agent delivery can be affected when the carrier-gas supply or electronic gas-delivery system is unavailable or unstable.
Expected outcome: Gas supplies are stable and fresh-gas delivery responds normally.
If gas-delivery problems are also present, troubleshoot the supply or electronic flow-control issue before continuing with agent testing.
11. Inspect Accessible Connections and External Damage
With the device removed from service and powered down:
- Inspect accessible agent-system connections for looseness or visible damage.
- Check for evidence of fluid intrusion near the vaporization or control area.
- Inspect the exterior for impact damage.
- Note unusual heat, odor, sounds, or evidence of an anesthetic-agent leak.
- Do not open internal covers or disturb sealed vaporization components.
Expected outcome: No external condition is found that could interfere with recognition or control.
If liquid intrusion, agent leakage, overheating, or physical damage is present, stop testing and escalate immediately.
12. Perform the Approved System Checkout
After correcting any external issue:
- Reassemble all user-accessible components.
- Run the complete machine checkout.
- Verify the agent is correctly recognized.
- Confirm the concentration can be selected and remains stable.
- Verify agent output using approved gas-analysis equipment.
- Confirm alarms activate appropriately when agent delivery is interrupted.
- Test manual agent control and End-tidal Control separately when the option is installed.
Expected outcome: The machine completes checkout and measured agent concentration responds appropriately to the selected setting.
If the checkout passes consistently, return the device to service according to department policy.
If the Problem Persists
If the agent remains unavailable, is identified incorrectly, resets to zero, produces inaccurate output, or generates repeated electronic vaporization errors after external causes have been ruled out, the fault is likely internal.
Possible internal areas include the agent-recognition interface, electronic vaporization assembly, sensors, valves, control electronics, wiring, or software-controlled gas-delivery components. The Aisys CS2 technical reference documentation specifically includes electronic vaporization and gas-delivery components as service areas.
The device should be:
- Removed from service
- Labeled Out of Service
- Sent for qualified repair or bench evaluation
- Evaluated using the current GE Healthcare technical reference documentation and approved test equipment
Do not return the machine to clinical use based only on successful agent recognition. Accurate measured agent output and a complete system checkout must also be confirmed.
Knowing when to stop and escalate is proper troubleshooting.
Clinical Use Tip
Never troubleshoot uncertain anesthetic-agent delivery on an active patient. Move the patient to verified equipment or establish an approved alternate anesthetic method before testing, reseating, or exchanging agent components.
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 did not recognize the installed anesthetic agent and would not allow concentration adjustment."
Cause
What was observed during troubleshooting.
Example:
"The agent cassette was not fully seated, preventing the machine from consistently recognizing the installed agent."
Resolution
What action was taken.
Example:
"Removed and reseated the cassette, completed the system checkout, and verified correct agent identification and measured output with an approved gas analyzer."
Helpful Details to Include (If Known)
- Exact displayed alarm or advisory
- Agent type installed
- Agent level checked
- Agent component reseated
- Known-good component tested
- Manual agent control tested
- End-tidal Control tested
- Sampling line and water trap condition
- Pipeline gas supplies verified
- Measured inspired and expired agent values
- Unusual odor, heat, leakage, or sounds
- System checkout result
- Final device status
Final Thought
Safe troubleshooting begins by protecting the patient, confirming the exact failure, and ruling out agent supply, installation, sampling, settings, and gas-delivery problems. Repeated recognition or control failures require appropriate escalation and complete CCR documentation.
That is successful troubleshooting.