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What This Guide Helps With
Troubleshooting Eleva workspot startup failure, loss of system communication, missing exams, or images not transferring to PACS.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
Ensure Patient Safety First
If the DigitalDiagnost C90 cannot reliably acquire, display, or transfer images, remove it from active patient imaging and notify Radiology staff.
Do not expose a patient when the acquisition workspot is unavailable, patient/exam data cannot be confirmed, or image transfer status is uncertain. Move the exam to another functioning radiographic system when clinically necessary.
Expected outcome: Patient imaging is performed only on equipment with reliable acquisition, review, and image-transfer capability.
Confirm the Exact Failure Condition
With the room removed from patient use, determine the reported symptom:
- Eleva workspot does not power on.
- Workspot begins booting but does not reach the application screen.
- System reaches the workspot but indicates disconnected components or unavailable acquisition.
- Modality worklist does not load.
- Images acquire locally but do not transfer to PACS.
- Image-transfer queue shows failed, pending, or unavailable destination status.
- Failure affects only one destination, such as PACS, while local image review remains available.
Record displayed messages, icons, destination names, timestamps, and whether the failure started after a power interruption, network outage, system update, or room shutdown.
Expected outcome: The issue is separated into boot, system communication, worklist/network, or image-transfer failure before troubleshooting continues.
Check Workspot Power and External Hardware
Inspect the workspot, monitor, keyboard/mouse, connected power cables, surge protection or approved power distribution components, and any visible external interface equipment.
Confirm:
- Workspot and monitor power cords are firmly seated.
- Approved power source is available.
- No tripped breaker, disconnected emergency-power circuit, or room power interruption is reported.
- Monitor power indicator is present.
- No damaged cord, loose connector, liquid intrusion, unusual heat, smell, or noise is present.
The DigitalDiagnost C90 uses an Eleva workstation with solid-state drive-based operation for boot and access to examination information; a blank monitor or interrupted power path can appear to staff as a full acquisition failure.
Expected outcome: The workspot powers normally and displays the Philips application startup or login screen.
If resolved: Confirm normal startup and proceed only with approved functional verification before returning the room to service.
Rule Out a Display-Only Problem
If the workspot appears powered but the screen is blank or unreadable, verify the monitor power indicator, brightness controls if externally accessible, and securely seated external display connections.
Observe whether there are signs the workstation itself is running, such as indicator lights, cooling fan activity, login audio, or response to permitted input actions.
Expected outcome: A display issue is distinguished from a workstation boot failure.
If the monitor remains blank while the workstation appears powered: Remove the system from service and escalate for bench or vendor evaluation rather than repeatedly cycling power.
Perform One Controlled Restart When Appropriate
If no patient is involved, no active exposure is in progress, and there is no evidence of electrical damage or abnormal odor/heat, perform one controlled restart according to department-approved shutdown/startup practice.
Do not perform repeated hard power cycles or force shutdowns during suspected image-transfer activity, because examination or transfer status may be unclear afterward.
Observe and document:
- Whether the workspot reaches the normal application screen.
- Any boot error, login issue, communication warning, or frozen screen.
- How far the startup progresses before failure.
Expected outcome: The acquisition workspot either restores normal operation or presents a repeatable failure condition suitable for escalation.
If resolved: Verify connectivity and image-transfer status before returning the system to clinical use.
Verify Visible System Communication Status
Once the workspot is operational, check for visible indications that required room components are available and communicating, such as generator, detector, tube head, table, or wall stand status as applicable to the installed room configuration.
The C90 uses the Eleva workspot as part of the examination workflow and may coordinate system operation and image-related activity through the workstation interface.
Check externally for:
- Loose visible network or communication cables at accessible equipment interfaces.
- Recently disturbed room equipment, cable management, or workstation connections.
- A fault that appeared after moving equipment, cleaning, construction, power interruption, or network work.
- Any component shown as offline, unavailable, or not ready.
Do not open cabinets or reseat internal communication boards.
Expected outcome: Required room components appear available and ready from the workspot.
If a room component remains unavailable: Remove the room from service and escalate for system communication evaluation.
Check Network Connectivity and Modality Worklist Function
Determine whether the failure includes network-dependent functions:
- Modality worklist is unavailable or outdated.
- Patient orders do not populate.
- PACS destination appears offline.
- Other imaging rooms are also unable to access worklist or send images.
Coordinate with Radiology/PACS or IT support as appropriate to determine whether there is a known network, RIS, modality worklist, or PACS outage.
Inspect only accessible external network connections and documented room network indicators. Do not modify network settings, AE titles, IP configuration, DICOM destination settings, or security configuration without authorization.
Philips identifies the DigitalDiagnost C90 as supporting integration into hospital IT infrastructure and PACS.
Expected outcome: The issue is identified as either isolated to this radiographic room or associated with a broader network/PACS interruption.
If a broader outage is confirmed: Document the system condition and coordinate restoration through the appropriate support pathway before clinical use resumes.
Check Image-Transfer Queue and Local Image Availability
If acquisition is possible but images are not arriving in PACS, confirm whether the images remain visible locally on the workspot and whether a transfer queue or failed-send status is displayed.
Document:
- Exam accession or patient identifier according to privacy policy.
- Time of acquisition.
- Destination affected.
- Whether images are pending, failed, or absent from the queue.
- Whether a retry option is available to authorized users.
- Whether the same failure occurs for more than one study.
Do not repeat exposures solely because an image has not transferred unless Radiology has confirmed that the original image is unusable or unavailable and repeat imaging is clinically required.
Expected outcome: Existing images are protected from unnecessary repeat exposure while the failure is isolated to local acquisition versus DICOM transfer.
If an authorized resend successfully delivers the image: Confirm receipt with Radiology/PACS and document the restored transfer.
Compare with Another Approved Destination or Room, When Available
Coordinate with Radiology/PACS support to determine whether:
- Images from another modality are reaching the same PACS destination.
- The affected C90 can communicate with any approved configured destination.
- The problem is limited to one PACS destination, one worklist source, or the entire acquisition workspot.
Do not create test patients, alter destinations, or transmit patient information outside approved workflows.
Expected outcome: The failure is narrowed to the C90 workspot/system path or to an external PACS/network destination.
Complete a Safe Functional Verification
After any restored boot or connectivity condition, perform department-approved functional checks with no patient on the system.
Confirm:
- Workspot completes startup normally.
- No active communication or system-ready warnings remain.
- Modality worklist access is restored, when applicable.
- A permitted test or quality-control image workflow successfully processes and reaches the approved destination, when authorized.
- Radiology confirms expected image visibility before the room is returned to use.
Expected outcome: The acquisition workspot and image-transfer workflow are reliable for clinical operation.
If any failure repeats or verification cannot be completed: Keep the room out of service and escalate.
If the Problem Persists
If power, monitor status, accessible external connections, controlled restart, visible communication status, worklist availability, and approved image-transfer verification have been checked without resolution, common external causes have been ruled out.
The failure may involve the Eleva workspot computer, application software, internal communications, DICOM configuration, network interface, system controller, storage function, or another internal system component.
The device should be:
- Removed from service
- Labeled Out of Service
- Sent for repair, Philips service evaluation, or qualified imaging-system bench evaluation
Do not continue repeated restarts, change network or DICOM configuration without authorization, or allow clinical imaging when image capture or transfer reliability is unresolved.
Knowing when to stop is proper troubleshooting.
Clinical Use Tip
Do not troubleshoot acquisition, worklist, or image-transfer failures during an active patient examination. Move the patient to another available imaging system first, and confirm that images have reached the intended clinical destination before considering the exam complete.
Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)
CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution
Complaint
What was reported by the clinical staff.
Example:
"Radiology reported that the Philips DigitalDiagnost C90 Eleva workspot powered on but would not send acquired images to PACS."
Cause
What was observed during troubleshooting.
Example:
"Workspot booted normally and images remained available locally, but the configured PACS destination showed failed transfer status after external connections and network availability were checked."
Resolution
What action was taken.
Example:
"Removed the room from clinical service, labeled it Out of Service, documented the affected exam-transfer status, and escalated to PACS/Philips support for image-transfer and system communication evaluation."
Helpful Details to Include (If Known)
- Workspot power indicator and monitor condition
- Exact startup or communication message displayed
- Whether the application reached the normal exam screen
- Whether controlled restart was attempted and its result
- Status of modality worklist access
- Whether images were available locally
- PACS destination or transfer-queue status
- Whether other imaging rooms were affected
- Accessible cables or network connections inspected
- Any recent power, IT, construction, or room-equipment changes
- Presence of unusual heat, odor, or noise
- Final device status and escalation pathway
Final Thought
A radiographic system is not dependable if the acquisition workspot cannot reliably start, identify examinations, communicate with room components, or deliver images for clinical review. Safe troubleshooting begins with protecting the patient from delayed imaging or unnecessary repeat exposure, continues with logical external checks, and ends with appropriate escalation and clear documentation when the failure is not safely correctable at the Clinical Engineering level.
That is successful troubleshooting.