Getinge Servo-i

Asset Type

Ventilator

Manufacturer

Getinge

Model

Servo-i

What This Guide Helps With

Troubleshooting apnea or low expired minute volume alarms caused by patient-circuit leaks, disconnections, settings, accessories, or measurement problems.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

1. Ensure Patient Safety First

Do not troubleshoot an apnea or low minute volume alarm while the Servo-i is actively supporting a patient unless the clinical team has immediately assessed the patient.

• Notify respiratory therapy and the clinical team.
• Confirm whether the patient is breathing and receiving effective ventilation.
• Transfer the patient to another verified ventilator or provide approved manual ventilation when necessary.
• Confirm ventilation and alarm operation on the replacement device.

Expected outcome: The patient is safely supported without relying on a ventilator with questionable volume delivery or monitoring.

Continue Clinical Engineering troubleshooting only after the affected Servo-i has been removed from patient use.

2. Confirm the Exact Alarm and Operating Mode

Record the complete alarm message and determine whether the ventilator reports:

• Apnea
• Low expired minute volume
• No patient effort
• Patient circuit disconnected
• Leakage out of range
• Low respiratory rate
• Automatic transition to backup ventilation

Determine the ventilation mode, patient category, apnea time, respiratory-rate limits, and expired minute-volume alarm limits.

The Servo-i provides adjustable expired minute-volume alarm limits, and apnea monitoring behavior depends on the selected ventilation mode and configuration.

Expected outcome: The reported condition and relevant alarm settings are clearly identified.

If the alarm resulted from an inappropriate clinical setting, have qualified clinical staff correct the setting and verify operation. Do not independently change prescribed ventilation parameters.

3. Inspect the Patient Circuit for Disconnection

Inspect the complete breathing circuit from the ventilator outlets to the patient connection or test lung.

Check for:

• Loose inspiratory or expiratory limb connections
• Partially disconnected tubing
• A disconnected Y-piece
• Loose humidifier chamber connections
• Open accessory ports
• Damaged connectors
• Circuit tubing pulled away from fittings

Reconnect each component securely.

Expected outcome: The circuit remains fully connected and the ventilator detects stable delivered and expired volumes.

If reconnecting the circuit resolves the alarm, verify operation with a test lung and stop troubleshooting.

4. Check for Major Circuit or Airway Leaks

Inspect the circuit and accessories for leaks that could reduce measured expired minute volume.

Pay particular attention to:

• Cracked or punctured tubing
• Loose water traps
• Improperly seated humidifier chambers
• Open nebulizer ports
• Loose sampling adapters
• Damaged test lungs
• Incorrectly assembled NIV interfaces
• Cuff or airway leaks reported by clinical staff

Replace or reseat questionable external components.

Expected outcome: Delivered gas returns through the expiratory limb without a significant unintended leak.

If replacing a leaking accessory resolves the alarm, complete functional verification and stop.

5. Verify the Expiratory Cassette Installation

Confirm that the expiratory cassette is:

• The correct cassette for the Servo-i
• Fully inserted
• Properly latched
• Free of visible liquid accumulation
• Free of obvious contamination or physical damage

Remove and reinstall the cassette according to facility procedures. Use a clean, compatible cassette when substitution is permitted.

Do not attempt to disassemble the cassette internally.

Expected outcome: The ventilator recognizes the cassette and measures expiratory flow consistently.

If a known-good cassette resolves the issue, document the defective cassette and stop troubleshooting.

6. Inspect Filters and External Accessories

Inspect the inspiratory and expiratory filters, heat-moisture exchanger, humidifier, nebulizer adapter, and other installed accessories.

Look for:

• Wet or saturated filters
• Occluded filters
• Incorrect filter orientation
• Excessive condensate
• Kinked tubing
• Accessories that add excessive resistance
• Incompatible circuit components

Replace wet, blocked, damaged, or questionable accessories.

Expected outcome: Circuit resistance is reduced and expired volume is measured without restriction.

If replacing an accessory resolves the alarm, verify normal operation and stop.

7. Drain Condensate Safely

Check the circuit, water traps, humidifier, and expiratory cassette area for accumulated condensate.

• Drain condensate away from the ventilator and test lung.
• Prevent liquid from entering the ventilator.
• Confirm that water traps are sealed after draining.
• Replace heavily contaminated or saturated components.

Expected outcome: Gas moves freely through the circuit and the expiratory measurement pathway remains dry.

If removing condensate resolves the alarm, complete a functional test and stop.

8. Verify Alarm Limits With Clinical Staff

Compare the low expired minute-volume, respiratory-rate, and apnea-time limits with the intended clinical configuration.

An alarm limit set above the expected ventilation level may generate repeated alarms even when the ventilator is functioning normally. Getinge training material emphasizes confirming appropriate expiratory minute-volume and respiratory-rate alarm limits.

Clinical Engineering should not independently change prescribed alarm limits. Have respiratory therapy or another authorized clinician confirm and adjust them when appropriate.

Expected outcome: Alarm limits are appropriate for the selected patient category, ventilation mode, and test conditions.

If corrected settings resolve the alarm, document that no equipment defect was found and stop.

9. Check Trigger Detection in Supported Modes

When the complaint involves apnea during a spontaneous or supported mode, determine whether the ventilator detects simulated patient effort.

Using an approved test lung:

• Confirm the trigger setting is clinically reasonable.
• Check for excessive circuit leakage.
• Confirm the test lung can generate a detectable effort.
• Observe whether trigger indicators appear.
• Verify that supported breaths occur consistently.

Do not diagnose a patient’s breathing effort during bench testing.

Expected outcome: Simulated efforts reliably trigger supported breaths and prevent inappropriate apnea detection.

If triggering remains unreliable with a known-good circuit and test lung, continue troubleshooting.

10. Test With a Known-Good Circuit and Test Lung

Install a complete, compatible known-good patient circuit with appropriate filters and a verified test lung.

Operate the ventilator using an approved test configuration. Observe:

• Delivered tidal volume
• Expired tidal volume
• Expired minute volume
• Respiratory rate
• Trigger response
• Alarm recurrence
• Leakage indication
• Waveform stability

Expected outcome: Delivered and expired values remain stable and the alarm does not recur.

If the alarm disappears, isolate the original circuit components to identify the defective accessory.

11. Perform the Pre-Use Check

Place the Servo-i in Standby and perform the complete manufacturer-defined pre-use check using the correct test equipment and test tube.

Do not return the ventilator to clinical service when:

• The pre-use check fails
• The expiratory cassette test fails
• Circuit leakage is excessive
• Flow or pressure testing fails
• The ventilator reports a technical error

The manufacturer’s service documentation requires a pre-use check after service or maintenance intervention.

Expected outcome: The Servo-i completes the pre-use check without failures or technical messages.

If it passes, repeat the functional alarm test with a test lung.

12. Verify Alarm Activation and Recovery

Using an approved test configuration:

• Establish stable ventilation with a test lung.
• Confirm the displayed expired minute volume is reasonable.
• Simulate reduced ventilation or loss of patient effort.
• Verify that the expected visual and audible alarm activates.
• Restore normal ventilation.
• Confirm that monitored values recover and the alarm clears appropriately.

Do not silence or disable alarms to make the device appear functional.

Expected outcome: The alarm activates for the simulated condition, monitored values recover, and the alarm clears normally when ventilation is restored.

If measured volume remains abnormally low or the alarm behaves incorrectly with known-good external components, remove the device from service.

If the Problem Persists

If the apnea or low minute volume alarm continues after the circuit, connections, filters, accessories, condensate, expiratory cassette, alarm settings, and test lung have been checked, common external causes have been ruled out.

The problem may involve an internal flow-measurement component, expiratory cassette interface, pneumatic system, software function, or other internal ventilator fault.

The device should be:

• Removed from service
• Labeled Out of Service
• Sent for qualified repair or bench evaluation
• Evaluated under the applicable Getinge service documentation
• Tested completely before being returned to clinical use

Do not perform unauthorized internal disassembly or board-level repair. Knowing when to stop and escalate is proper troubleshooting.

Clinical Use Tip

Never assume an apnea or low minute volume alarm is only an equipment problem. Clinical staff must assess the patient first. Move the patient to another verified ventilation method before Clinical Engineering performs circuit substitutions, pre-use checks, or alarm simulations.

Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)

CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution

Complaint

What was reported by the clinical staff.

Example:
"Respiratory therapy reported repeated apnea and low expired minute volume alarms during operation of the Getinge Servo-i ventilator."

Cause

What was observed during troubleshooting.

Example:
"Inspection found a loose expiratory-limb connection at the expiratory cassette, resulting in reduced measured expired volume."

Resolution

What action was taken.

Example:
"Reseated the expiratory connection, installed a verified test circuit, completed the pre-use check and alarm verification, and returned the ventilator to service after all tests passed."

Helpful Details to Include (If Known)

• Exact alarm message
• Ventilation mode
• Patient category selected
• Apnea-time setting
• Low minute-volume alarm limit
• Respiratory-rate alarm limits
• Delivered and expired tidal-volume readings
• Displayed expired minute volume
• Circuit and filter condition
• Humidifier or water-trap condition
• Expiratory cassette identification
• Known-good circuit installed
• Test-lung results
• Pre-use check results
• Alarm activation and recovery behavior
• Associated technical codes
• Final device status

Final Thought

Patient assessment comes first whenever apnea or low minute volume is reported. A logical Clinical Engineering approach begins with the circuit, leaks, accessories, settings, and expiratory cassette before considering internal failure. Proper escalation and clear CCR documentation protect both the patient and the reliability of the equipment record.

That is successful troubleshooting.