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What This Guide Helps With
Troubleshoots failed displays, controls, or audible alarms caused by power, connections, control state, contamination, accessories, or service-level faults.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
1. Protect the Patient and Remove Unreliable Equipment From Clinical Use
A Flow-c with an unreadable display, unreliable controls, or unavailable alarm audio must not be relied upon for patient care. Transition to another verified anesthesia system before troubleshooting.
Expected outcome: Patient monitoring and anesthesia delivery do not depend on compromised controls or alarms.
2. Confirm the Exact User-Interface Failure
Determine whether the display is blank, frozen, distorted, intermittently responsive, or only partially functional. Check whether specific controls fail or all controls are affected. Confirm whether audible alarms are absent, weak, intermittent, or accompanied by a displayed alarm condition.
Expected outcome: The problem is defined as a display, control, audio, or combined interface failure.
3. Verify Power and Normal Startup
Confirm reliable AC power and inspect the power cord and connection. Determine whether the machine completes its normal startup sequence or whether the interface failure begins during initialization.
Expected outcome: External power is stable and the machine either initializes normally or the interface fault is reproducible.
4. Inspect the Display and Controls Externally
Look for physical damage, liquid contamination, residue, protective material, objects pressing against controls, or other external interference. Clean only using approved methods.
Expected outcome: No external physical or contamination-related condition is preventing normal operation.
5. Check External Connections and Accessories
Inspect accessible peripheral, data, sensor, and accessory connections for looseness or damage. If an external accessory was connected immediately before the fault, remove or replace it only when doing so is safe and permitted.
Expected outcome: External equipment is not causing the interface abnormality.
6. Verify Alarm Audio Under Controlled Test Conditions
With the Flow-c removed from patient use, perform an approved alarm-function check that produces an expected audible and visual indication. Do not intentionally create unsafe clinical conditions to test alarms.
Expected outcome: Required audible and visual alarm indications are present. If alarm audio remains absent or unreliable, keep the machine out of service.
7. Perform One Controlled Restart
If no external cause is identified, perform one normal shutdown and restart. Avoid repeated restarting of equipment showing the same unresolved user-interface fault.
Expected outcome: The display, controls, and alarm system initialize normally and remain stable, or the failure persists and requires escalation.
8. Complete Final Functional Verification
Verify display legibility, control response, alarm audio, visual alarm indications, ventilation controls, and applicable pre-use checks before return to service.
Expected outcome: All critical user-interface and alarm functions operate consistently.
If the Problem Persists
If power, external connections, contamination, accessories, and a controlled restart have been ruled out, the problem may involve an internal display assembly, control interface, speaker or audio path, software, communication bus, or related electronics.
Remove the Getinge Flow-c from service, label it Out of Service, and send it for repair or bench evaluation. Evaluate it using appropriate manufacturer documentation and approved test equipment. Do not perform board-level repairs, bypass alarm functions, or make undocumented service-menu changes.
Return the machine to service only after all required display, control, audible-alarm, visual-alarm, ventilation, and safety checks pass. A machine with intermittent alarm or control behavior remains unsafe until the cause is resolved.
Clinical Use Tip
An anesthesia machine with functioning ventilation but unreliable alarm audio is still unsafe for clinical use.
Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)
CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution
Complaint
What was reported by the clinical staff.
Example:
"OR staff reported the Getinge Flow-c display was operating but no audible alarm could be heard during the pre-use alarm check."
Cause
What was observed during troubleshooting.
Example:
"Clinical Engineering confirmed absent alarm audio despite normal external power and no obstructed or contaminated external interface."
Resolution
What action was taken.
Example:
"Clinical Engineering removed the machine from service and sent it for qualified bench repair and complete alarm-system verification before return to use."
Helpful Details to Include (If Known)
- Blank, frozen, distorted, or intermittent display behavior
- Controls affected
- Alarm-audio behavior
- Visual alarm behavior
- AC and battery status
- External contamination or physical damage
- Accessories connected
- Results of controlled restart
- Results of approved alarm test
- Whether failure was intermittent
- Final device status
Final Thought
Displays, controls, and alarm audio are essential safety functions, not conveniences. Rule out simple external causes first, but remove the machine from service whenever reliable operator interaction or alarm notification cannot be demonstrated and documented.
That is successful troubleshooting.