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What This Guide Helps With
Troubleshoots instability caused by power, accessories, software state, storage, network activity, overheating, or service-level software and hardware problems.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
1. Protect Patient Care and Confirm the Instability
Do not continue relying on a Venue Go that freezes, closes the application, or restarts during patient care. Move the examination to another verified ultrasound system.
Determine exactly what occurred and what activity immediately preceded it.
Expected outcome: The failure mode and trigger are documented under safe nonclinical conditions.
2. Check for Physical or Thermal Warning Signs
Inspect for blocked ventilation, excessive heat, unusual fan behavior, liquid contamination, physical damage, or odor.
Remove the device from service immediately if overheating or electrical damage is suspected.
Expected outcome: No obvious unsafe condition is present. Thermal or physical abnormalities are addressed before additional testing.
3. Verify Stable Power
Confirm the external power supply, AC cord, docking connections, and receptacle.
Note whether failures occur only on battery, only while connected to AC, or during transitions between the two.
Expected outcome: The system is operating from a stable power source. If correcting an intermittent power connection stops the restarts, proceed to final verification.
4. Document the Workflow That Triggers the Failure
Determine whether the freeze occurs during startup, probe selection, image acquisition, measurement, saving, network transfer, or another repeatable task.
Record any exact displayed message.
Expected outcome: A repeatable workflow is identified when possible, helping separate general instability from a function-specific problem.
5. Disconnect Nonessential External Devices
Remove approved nonessential peripherals, removable media, and optional connections.
Test the system in its basic configuration.
Expected outcome: The Venue Go remains stable without unnecessary accessories. If one accessory consistently triggers instability, remove it from use and verify the system without it.
6. Check Available Storage and Pending Transfers
Review normal user-accessible indications for storage capacity and queued or incomplete workflow activity.
Severely constrained storage or a large transfer backlog may contribute to abnormal application behavior.
Expected outcome: The system has adequate resources for a controlled test workflow.
7. Perform a Normal Restart
Use the normal shutdown and startup process whenever possible.
Avoid repeatedly forcing power off unless the system cannot be recovered through normal controls.
Expected outcome: The Venue Go completes startup normally and remains responsive.
8. Reproduce the Original Workflow Without a Patient
Using a phantom or suitable test target, repeat the activity associated with the failure.
Observe whether freezing, application closure, or restart occurs again.
Expected outcome: The system completes the workflow without instability. A repeatable crash or restart requires escalation.
9. Perform Broader Functional Verification
Verify probe recognition, imaging, basic controls, image save, and network transfer when those functions are part of the normal configuration.
Perform more than one normal operating cycle if the original problem was intermittent.
Expected outcome: The system remains stable through repeated representative operation. Troubleshooting can stop if the original condition does not recur and all required functions pass.
10. Escalate Recurrent Software Instability
If the system repeatedly freezes or restarts after stable power, accessories, storage, environment, and basic workflow have been checked, remove it from service.
Expected outcome: Recurrent instability is treated as a service-level reliability problem rather than temporarily cleared by repeated reboots.
If the Problem Persists
Common external power, accessory, storage, environmental, and workflow causes have been ruled out. Remaining causes may involve operating software, application corruption, internal storage, memory, power management, thermal control, or other service-level hardware.
Remove the Venue Go from service and label it Out of Service. Send it for repair or bench evaluation using appropriate GE Healthcare service documentation and approved diagnostic tools. Software recovery, updates, internal repair, and configuration changes should be performed only by qualified authorized personnel.
Return to service only after the system completes repeated startup and representative imaging workflows without freezing or restarting.
Knowing when repeated rebooting is no longer troubleshooting is proper troubleshooting.
Clinical Use Tip
A system that recovers after reboot but later freezes again is still unreliable and should not be used for time-sensitive patient examinations.
Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)
CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution
Complaint
What was reported by the clinical staff.
Example:
"Staff reported the Venue Go repeatedly restarted while saving examinations."
Cause
What was observed during troubleshooting.
Example:
"Clinical Engineering reproduced the restart during a controlled save test after verifying stable external power and disconnecting nonessential accessories."
Resolution
What action was taken.
Example:
"Clinical Engineering removed the system from service for qualified software and hardware evaluation and required successful repeated imaging and save testing before return to service."
Helpful Details to Include (If Known)
- Freeze, application close, or full restart
- Exact activity at time of failure
- Any displayed message
- AC versus battery operation
- Accessories connected
- Storage status
- Network activity
- Temperature or fan behavior
- Reproduction results
- Final device status
Final Thought
Protect patient care, eliminate power, accessory, storage, and environmental causes before assuming an internal problem, reproduce instability safely, escalate recurring failures instead of relying on rebooting, and document the workflow that triggered the fault.
That is successful troubleshooting.