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What This Guide Helps With
Use this guide when the sterilizer is completely unresponsive, powers intermittently, or does not complete its normal startup sequence.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
1. Protect Patient Care and Sterile Processing Operations
Do not depend on the sterilizer for instrument availability while its startup condition is uncertain. Notify Sterile Processing and redirect loads to another validated sterilizer if necessary.
Do not continue repeated power cycling if there is smoke, unusual odor, visible damage, arcing, excessive heat, or evidence of water near electrical components.
Expected outcome: Clinical operations have an alternate sterilization pathway and the affected unit can be evaluated safely. If an obvious hazardous condition is present, remove the sterilizer from service and stop troubleshooting.
2. Confirm the Exact Startup Complaint
Ask staff whether the sterilizer is completely dead, powers briefly and shuts down, freezes during startup, displays a message, or becomes ready only intermittently.
Observe the normal startup attempt and document any display activity, indicator lights, sounds, or messages.
Expected outcome: The failure is reproduced and clearly defined. If the sterilizer starts normally and remains ready through repeated observation, continue with functional verification before returning it to service.
3. Verify Facility Power
Confirm the sterilizer's normal electrical supply is available. Inspect accessible disconnects, emergency-off controls, breakers, or facility power interfaces without bypassing protective devices.
If a facility power interruption is suspected, coordinate with Facilities rather than repeatedly resetting electrical protection.
Expected outcome: The sterilizer has stable facility power available. If restoring an approved external power condition allows normal startup, verify complete operation and troubleshooting can stop.
4. Inspect Accessible Power and Control Interfaces
Check accessible power switches, control panels, emergency-stop devices, and external connections for damage, looseness, contamination, or an unintentionally activated control.
Do not bypass an emergency-stop circuit or safety interlock.
Expected outcome: All accessible controls are correctly positioned and undamaged. If correcting an external control condition restores startup, complete functional verification and stop troubleshooting.
5. Check Required Utilities
Verify that required facility utilities supporting startup are available, including applicable water, steam, compressed air, drainage, and other installed services.
Coordinate utility verification with Facilities when the source is building infrastructure.
Expected outcome: Required utilities are available and stable. If startup completes after an external utility problem is corrected, verify readiness and troubleshooting can stop.
6. Check Door and Chamber Condition
Confirm the door is fully positioned and that no load item, rack, debris, packaging, or gasket obstruction is preventing normal closure or initialization.
Do not force the door or defeat a door interlock.
Expected outcome: The door and chamber are in a normal condition for startup. If proper positioning resolves the startup problem, verify normal operation and stop troubleshooting.
7. Perform a Controlled Restart
After external power, utilities, controls, and door conditions have been verified, perform one normal shutdown and restart using approved operating controls.
Avoid repeated restart attempts when the same failure returns.
Expected outcome: The sterilizer completes initialization and reaches its normal ready state. If it does, proceed to final verification.
8. Perform Final Functional Verification
Confirm the display, controls, indicators, door functions, alarms, and basic readiness indications operate normally. Perform any required post-service functional or cycle verification permitted by facility policy and manufacturer documentation.
Expected outcome: The sterilizer starts reliably and completes required verification without abnormal behavior. Troubleshooting can stop and the unit may be returned to service according to facility requirements.
9. Escalate if Startup Still Fails
If stable power, utilities, controls, door conditions, and accessible external causes have been ruled out, stop external troubleshooting.
Expected outcome: The sterilizer remains out of clinical service pending qualified service evaluation rather than being subjected to unnecessary disassembly or repeated resets.
If the Problem Persists
Common external causes have been ruled out. Remaining possibilities may include an internal power-control problem, control-system fault, safety-interlock issue, utility-monitoring fault, or service-level configuration problem.
The sterilizer should be:
- Removed from service.
- Labeled Out of Service.
- Sent for repair or qualified bench/service evaluation.
- Evaluated using appropriate Getinge service documentation and approved test equipment.
- Repaired or configured only by qualified personnel.
- Subjected to appropriate functional and sterilization-process verification before return to service.
Knowing when to stop external troubleshooting and escalate is proper troubleshooting.
Clinical Use Tip
Confirm Sterile Processing has another validated sterilizer available before taking the GSS67H out of service for troubleshooting.
Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)
CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution
Complaint
What was reported by the clinical staff.
Example:
"Sterile Processing reported the Getinge GSS67H would not complete startup and remained unavailable for cycle selection."
Cause
What was observed during troubleshooting.
Example:
"Clinical Engineering found facility power present but an accessible emergency-stop control was engaged."
Resolution
What action was taken.
Example:
"Clinical Engineering restored the control to its normal position, verified complete startup and normal basic operation, and returned the sterilizer to service."
Helpful Details to Include (If Known)
- Whether the sterilizer was completely dead or partially powered
- Display or indicator behavior
- Exact startup message
- Facility power status
- Utility availability
- Emergency-stop status
- Door position
- Evidence of heat, odor, water, or damage
- Results of controlled restart
- Final functional verification
- Final device status
Final Thought
Protect patient care first, verify external power, utilities, controls, and door conditions before assuming an internal failure, and escalate when startup remains unreliable. Clear CCR documentation should show exactly what was reported, found, corrected, and verified.
That is successful troubleshooting.