Natus Olympic Brainz Monitor

Touchscreen or user interface lockup

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Asset Type

EEG System

Manufacturer

Natus

Model

Olympic Brainz Monitor

What This Guide Helps With

Troubleshooting touchscreen freeze, delayed response, or user interface lockup before removing the EEG monitor from service.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

Ensure Patient Safety First

If the Olympic Brainz Monitor is being used on an active patient, do not attempt extended troubleshooting while monitoring is clinically needed.

Notify clinical staff and confirm whether EEG monitoring must continue on another available monitor.

Expected outcome: Patient monitoring is maintained without relying on a locked or unresponsive user interface.

Why it matters: A frozen interface may prevent alarm review, trend review, event marking, or proper monitoring adjustments.

Confirm the Reported Interface Problem

Observe the monitor and determine whether the issue is:

Expected outcome: The lockup behavior is confirmed and described clearly.

If the touchscreen begins responding normally during this check, verify basic function with staff and return the monitor to service if no further issue is present.

Check for Physical Contact or Obstruction on the Screen

Inspect the touchscreen for anything causing constant contact, such as:

Clean the screen using facility-approved method and manufacturer-compatible cleaning products.

Expected outcome: The touchscreen responds normally after removing contamination or pressure.

If this resolves the issue, document the finding and stop.

Verify the Monitor Is Not in a Startup, Shutdown, or Processing State

Check whether the system recently powered on, was ending a study, saving data, or attempting to load patient information.

Allow the monitor a reasonable amount of time to complete the visible process before cycling power.

Expected outcome: The interface resumes once processing is complete.

Why it matters: Some apparent lockups may be delayed response during file handling or system startup rather than a true touchscreen failure.

Check External Power Stability

Confirm the monitor is connected to a known-good AC outlet and that the power supply is fully seated.

Inspect the power cord and external power supply for:

Test the outlet or move the monitor to a verified outlet if needed.

Expected outcome: The monitor has stable power and the interface responds normally.

If unstable power or a loose connection caused the lockup, correct the power issue, verify normal operation, and stop.

Check for Connected Accessories Causing System Delay

If safe to do so and the monitor is not actively needed for patient care, disconnect nonessential external accessories one at a time.

Check items such as:

After each removal, observe whether the touchscreen response returns.

Expected outcome: A faulty or incompatible external accessory is identified, or accessories are ruled out.

If a specific accessory causes the lockup, remove that accessory from use and document it.

Check Network or Data Connection Behavior

If the lockup occurs when opening patient files, saving studies, or accessing network functions, check whether the issue may be related to a slow or unavailable network connection.

Confirm with IT or clinical staff whether there are known network issues in that area.

Expected outcome: Network-related delay is separated from a true monitor touchscreen failure.

Why it matters: A system may appear frozen while waiting on a failed network path or data transfer.

Perform a Controlled Restart When Safe

If the user interface remains locked and the monitor is not actively needed for patient monitoring, perform a controlled power cycle according to facility policy.

Power the monitor down normally if possible. If the interface will not allow normal shutdown, remove it from patient use first, then restart only when safe.

Expected outcome: The monitor restarts successfully and touchscreen function returns.

If the monitor operates normally after restart, perform a basic functional check before returning it to service.

Verify Basic Function After Restart

After reboot, check:

Expected outcome: The user interface responds normally and no recurring lockup occurs.

If the issue is resolved and cannot be reproduced, return the monitor to service only if clinical staff agrees it is functioning normally.

Look for Recurring Lockup Pattern

Ask staff when the issue occurs:

Expected outcome: A pattern is identified that helps determine whether the cause is external, workflow-related, accessory-related, or likely internal.

Inspect for Signs of Hardware or Software Fault

Remove the monitor from service if any of the following are present:

Expected outcome: An unreliable EEG monitor is not returned to patient care.

If the Problem Persists

If the Olympic Brainz Monitor touchscreen or user interface remains locked after external causes are ruled out, the issue is likely internal or software-related.

Remove the device from service, label it Out of Service, and send it for repair or bench evaluation. Do not continue repeated restarts during patient care.

Knowing when to stop is proper troubleshooting. A monitor with recurring interface lockup should not be trusted for active EEG monitoring until it has been evaluated and verified.

Clinical Use Tip

Do not troubleshoot a frozen EEG monitor while a patient is depending on it for active monitoring. Move monitoring to another appropriate device first, then evaluate the affected monitor only when it is safe to do so.

Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)

CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution

Complaint

What was reported by the clinical staff.

Example:
"Clinical staff reported the Natus Olympic Brainz Monitor touchscreen froze during EEG monitoring and menus would not respond."

Cause

What was observed during troubleshooting.

Example:
"Touchscreen lockup was confirmed; power connection, screen contamination, USB accessories, and restart behavior were checked with no external cause found."

Resolution

What action was taken.

Example:
"Monitor was removed from service, labeled Out of Service, and sent for bench evaluation due to recurring user interface lockup."

Helpful Details to Include (If Known)

Final Thought

Touchscreen and user interface lockups should be handled carefully because they can interfere with monitoring control, alarm review, and documentation. Start with patient safety, then rule out power, screen contamination, accessories, and network-related delays. If the problem repeats, remove the monitor from service and document the failure clearly using CCR.

That is successful troubleshooting.

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