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What This Guide Helps With
Troubleshooting test strip feed, strip transport, alignment, and positioning errors before removing the Urisys 1800 from service.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
Ensure Patient Safety First
- Confirm the Urisys 1800 is not actively processing patient specimens before troubleshooting.
- If testing is urgent, have laboratory staff use another validated urine analyzer or approved backup testing procedure.
- Expected outcome: Troubleshooting does not interrupt active testing or risk questionable patient results.
Stop Testing and Protect Result Integrity
- Ask staff whether a patient strip was in process when the feed or positioning error occurred.
- Confirm whether the test was completed, aborted, or needs to be repeated per lab policy.
- Expected outcome: No incomplete or unreliable urine result is released.
Verify the Reported Error
- Confirm the exact symptom or message reported by staff.
- Check whether the issue occurs during strip loading, transport, positioning, reading, or ejection.
- Expected outcome: The problem is confirmed as a strip feed or positioning issue, not a general startup, optics, printer, or LIS issue.
Inspect the Test Strip Loading Area
- Look for a misloaded strip, partially advanced strip, broken strip piece, dried urine, paper debris, or other obstruction in the accessible strip path.
- Do not force any moving parts.
- Expected outcome: Any visible obstruction is identified and safely removed if accessible.
Confirm Correct Strip Type
- Verify the reagent strips being used are approved for the Roche Urisys 1800 configuration.
- Check that the strips are not expired, moisture-damaged, curled, contaminated, or from an improperly stored container.
- Expected outcome: The analyzer is being loaded with compatible, usable strips.
Check Strip Orientation and Placement
- Confirm staff are placing strips in the correct direction and position according to the normal analyzer workflow.
- Incorrect placement can cause feed errors, timing faults, or failed positioning before the read cycle.
- Expected outcome: Strip placement is correct and repeatable.
Check for Wet or Contaminated Strip Handling
- Ask whether strips are being excessively wet, dripping, or contaminated before loading.
- Heavy urine carryover can cause sticking, slipping, or residue buildup in the transport path.
- Expected outcome: Strips are blotted or handled according to lab procedure before loading.
Inspect the Strip Transport Area for Residue
- With the analyzer idle and safe to access, inspect user-accessible surfaces for dried urine, crystallized residue, dust, or disinfectant buildup.
- Clean only external or operator-accessible areas using facility-approved procedure and materials.
- Expected outcome: The strip path is clean enough for normal strip movement.
Check Waste or Strip Collection Area
- Verify the waste container or used-strip area is not full, misaligned, or blocking strip ejection.
- A backup at the end of the path can create feed or positioning faults.
- Expected outcome: Used strips can exit the transport path without obstruction.
Restart the Analyzer if Appropriate
- If no specimen is active and staff confirm it is safe, power cycle the analyzer using the normal shutdown and startup process.
- Allow the system to complete startup checks without interruption.
- Expected outcome: Temporary control or transport state errors clear after restart.
Run a Non-Patient Test or QC Check
- Have the laboratory run QC or an approved non-patient verification test after cleaning and setup checks.
- Observe whether the strip feeds, positions, reads, and ejects normally.
- Expected outcome: If the strip advances normally and QC is acceptable, return the device to service per lab policy and stop troubleshooting.
Look for a Pattern
- Ask whether the error occurs with all strips, one strip lot, one operator, one shift, or only after cleaning.
- A pattern may point to strip condition, handling technique, residue, or accessory setup rather than internal failure.
- Expected outcome: Repeat failures are narrowed to a likely external cause or confirmed as device-related.
Check for Abnormal Mechanical Behavior
- Listen for unusual grinding, repeated motor cycling, slipping, clicking, or failure to move the strip.
- Watch for inconsistent strip advancement or repeated misalignment.
- Expected outcome: Abnormal mechanical behavior is identified as a reason to escalate.
Do Not Force the Feed Mechanism
- Do not push strips through the analyzer, pry at internal components, or defeat covers or sensors.
- Expected outcome: The device is not damaged further and staff safety is maintained.
If the Problem Persists
If the Urisys 1800 continues to show test strip feed or positioning errors after strip type, strip handling, loading, waste area, cleaning, obstruction, and restart checks have been completed, common external causes have been ruled out.
The issue is likely related to an internal transport, sensor, motor, alignment, or control problem. The device should be removed from service, labeled Out of Service, and sent for repair or bench evaluation.
Knowing when to stop is proper troubleshooting. Continued testing on a device with unresolved strip positioning errors can risk delayed, incomplete, or unreliable urine results.
Clinical Use Tip
Do not troubleshoot the strip feed path while patient specimens are actively being processed. If urine testing is clinically needed, move testing to another validated analyzer or follow the lab’s approved downtime process before continuing.
Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)
CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution
Complaint
What was reported by the clinical staff.
Example:
"Laboratory staff reported the Roche Urisys 1800 displayed a test strip positioning error and would not complete urine strip analysis."
Cause
What was observed during troubleshooting.
Example:
"Inspection found dried urine residue and a partially obstructed used-strip exit area causing inconsistent strip advancement."
Resolution
What action was taken.
Example:
"Cleaned accessible strip path surfaces, cleared the used-strip area, verified correct strip loading, and confirmed normal operation with QC before returning the analyzer to service."
Helpful Details to Include (If Known)
- Exact error message displayed
- Whether a patient test was active
- Strip lot and expiration date checked
- Strip orientation verified
- Loading area inspected
- Waste or used-strip area checked
- Visible residue, debris, or dried urine noted
- Analyzer restarted
- QC or non-patient verification result
- Any abnormal motor noise or repeated feed cycling
- Final device status
Final Thought
For strip feed or positioning errors, start with patient safety and result integrity, then work through the visible strip path, reagent strips, loading technique, waste area, and cleaning condition. If the fault continues after external causes are ruled out, escalation for repair is the correct Clinical Engineering decision. Clear CCR documentation helps show what was checked, what was found, and why the device was returned to service or removed.
That is successful troubleshooting.