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What This Guide Helps With
Troubleshoots air-in-line alarms associated with actual air, poorly primed sets, tubing condition, set placement, contamination, or persistent detection faults.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
1. Protect the Patient
Stop using the suspect pump for patient therapy until the source of the air-in-line alarm is understood. Maintain prescribed therapy on another verified device when clinically necessary.
Expected outcome: The patient is protected from interrupted therapy and unintended air delivery.
2. Confirm the Alarm Condition
Record the exact displayed condition and determine whether visible air was present when the alarm occurred. Ask whether the problem began after changing the bag, cassette, tubing, or administration set.
Expected outcome: The alarm circumstances and any association with a disposable change are established.
3. Visually Inspect the Administration Set
With the pump disconnected from the patient, inspect the tubing for visible air, foam, incomplete priming, loose connections, leaking connections, or a depleted source container.
Expected outcome: The fluid pathway is fully and appropriately primed with no unintended visible air. If correcting an obvious priming or connection problem eliminates the alarm, troubleshooting can stop after verification.
4. Inspect the Tubing at the Detection Area
Check that the tubing passing through the pump is correctly seated, clean, dry, undamaged, and not distorted. Inspect accessible detection surfaces for residue or contamination without disassembling the pump.
Expected outcome: Tubing is positioned normally and accessible surfaces are clean. If reseating the tubing or correcting external contamination resolves false alarms, the issue is resolved.
5. Verify Set Compatibility and Condition
Confirm the administration set is appropriate for the CURLIN 6000 application. Replace any disposable that appears cloudy, damaged, stretched, contaminated, or otherwise questionable.
Expected outcome: A suitable, intact administration set is installed. If the alarm disappears with the replacement set, the original disposable was the likely cause.
6. Test With a Known-Good Primed Set
Install a known-good compatible administration set in a controlled nonpatient setup and prime it appropriately. Run the pump while observing for repeated air-in-line alarms.
Expected outcome: The pump operates normally without false alarms. If it does, the original disposable or setup caused the problem and troubleshooting can stop after final checks.
7. Evaluate Positioning and Bubble Formation
Check for conditions that may allow air to enter or collect in the line, including loose source connections, an empty source container, excessive agitation, or tubing routed in a way that encourages bubbles to reach the pump.
Expected outcome: The external setup does not introduce air into the fluid pathway. If correcting the setup eliminates alarms, the issue is resolved.
8. Verify Alarm and Pump Operation
Perform appropriate nonpatient functional verification using approved procedures and test equipment. Confirm the pump responds appropriately to relevant alarm conditions and operates normally with an air-free set.
Expected outcome: Alarm detection and normal pumping behavior are consistent and reliable. If verification passes, troubleshooting can stop.
9. Escalate Repeated False Detection
If air-in-line alarms continue with correctly installed known-good air-free tubing and clean accessible surfaces, remove the pump from service. Do not adjust internal sensors or enter unauthorized service functions.
Expected outcome: A persistent detection problem is identified for qualified bench evaluation.
If the Problem Persists
Actual air, incomplete priming, disposable-set damage, incorrect loading, contamination, and setup-related bubble formation have been ruled out. Persistent false detection may involve the air-detection system, internal alignment, calibration, electronics, or another service-level issue.
Remove the pump from service, label it Out of Service, and send it for repair or bench evaluation. Use appropriate manufacturer documentation and approved test equipment. Only qualified personnel should perform internal repair, calibration, or configuration. Complete required return-to-service testing before clinical use.
Stopping after safe external checks is proper troubleshooting.
Clinical Use Tip
Never bypass or repeatedly dismiss an air-in-line alarm to keep therapy running without first confirming the fluid path is safe.
Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)
CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution
Complaint
What was reported by the clinical staff.
Example:
"Nursing reported repeated air-in-line alarms despite no obvious air being seen in the medication tubing."
Cause
What was observed during troubleshooting.
Example:
"Clinical Engineering found the administration tubing was not fully seated in the pump's detection area."
Resolution
What action was taken.
Example:
"Correctly reloaded the tubing, verified stable operation with an air-free nonpatient test setup, confirmed alarm function, and returned the pump to service."
Helpful Details to Include (If Known)
- Exact alarm wording
- Visible air or bubbles observed
- Source container condition
- Priming status
- Tubing condition
- Set compatibility
- Detection-area cleanliness
- Known-good set test
- Alarm behavior during testing
- Results before and after correction
- Final device status
Final Thought
Treat every air-related alarm as a patient-safety issue, verify the disposable and setup before suspecting internal sensing, and remove the pump from service when reliable detection cannot be demonstrated.
That is successful troubleshooting.