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What This Guide Helps With
Troubleshooting ARTIS Q positioning faults involving C-arm motion, stand movement, collision detection, table clearance, or biplane alignment.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
Ensure Patient Safety First
If the ARTIS Q Series positioning fault occurs during a procedure, stop system movement immediately.
Confirm the patient, sterile field, staff, anesthesia equipment, lines, tubing, and accessories are not at risk from unintended C-arm, stand, table, or detector movement.
Expected outcome: Patient and staff safety are protected before any troubleshooting continues.
Confirm Whether the System Is Single-Plane or Biplane
Identify whether the reported fault involves a single C-arm, floor-mounted stand, ceiling-mounted stand, lateral plane, frontal plane, or biplane positioning relationship.
This matters because a biplane system may prevent motion if one plane is not parked, synchronized, or clear.
Expected outcome: The affected plane or stand is clearly identified.
Verify the Exact Reported Fault
Ask the technologist or interventional team what occurred.
Confirm whether the issue involves:
- C-arm will not move
- Stand movement is slow, stopped, or interrupted
- Positioning preset will not execute
- Biplane movement is blocked
- Collision warning is active
- Table or detector clearance issue
- Position does not match selected protocol
- Joystick, control module, or foot control does not command movement
Expected outcome: The symptom is documented before resets or service escalation.
Check for Patient, Staff, or Equipment Obstruction
Visually inspect the full travel path of the C-arm, detector, X-ray tube, stand, table, monitor boom, anesthesia equipment, IV poles, lead shields, stools, cables, and floor mats.
Remove only safe, non-sterile obstructions with clinical approval.
Expected outcome: The system has a clear movement path.
If clearing the obstruction resolves the positioning fault, return the system to clinical staff after verifying normal movement and stop.
Check Collision Detection or Safety Interlock Messages
Review the operator display for collision, clearance, stand, table, detector, or movement inhibit messages.
Do not bypass, force, or repeatedly command movement against an active collision warning.
Expected outcome: Any safety-related movement inhibit is recognized and respected.
Confirm Emergency Stop Status
Check all accessible emergency stop buttons, including those near the table, system stand, wall control area, and operator control location.
Make sure no emergency stop is pressed or latched.
Expected outcome: Emergency stop status is normal.
If an emergency stop was engaged, release it only after confirming why it was pressed and that it is safe to resume movement.
Verify Room Power and System Ready State
Confirm the ARTIS Q system is powered on, fully booted, and not in a shutdown, standby, service, or faulted state.
Check for abnormal indicator lights, console warnings, UPS/power events, or room power issues.
Expected outcome: The system is ready to accept positioning commands.
Check the Operator Control Module and Joystick Area
Inspect the table-side control module, joystick, hand controls, and control panel for stuck buttons, fluid contamination, physical damage, or blocked motion controls.
Confirm the selected control location is active and not locked out by another control station.
Expected outcome: Movement commands are available from the intended control point.
Check Footswitch and Cable Placement
Verify footswitches, cables, and floor accessories are not trapped under the table base, stand base, C-arm path, or staff wheels.
A cable under the stand or table can trigger mechanical resistance, movement interruption, or collision concerns.
Expected outcome: No external cable or accessory is restricting motion.
Confirm Table Position and Clearance
Check table height, longitudinal/lateral position, cradle position, and accessory rails.
Move the table only when clinically safe and with staff awareness.
Expected outcome: The table is not blocking detector, tube, C-arm, or stand movement.
If repositioning the table restores normal C-arm travel, verify safe operation and stop.
Check Detector and Tube Clearance
Inspect the detector, tube housing, covers, drapes, sterile barriers, and mounted accessories.
Confirm nothing is caught between the detector and patient, table, arm board, procedure equipment, or shield.
Expected outcome: Detector and tube movement are physically clear.
Review Preset or Programmed Positioning Selection
Confirm the selected position, stored working angle, park position, or biplane movement preset is appropriate for the current table and room setup.
A stored position may be blocked if the table, patient, accessories, or second plane are not in the expected location.
Expected outcome: The requested movement matches the actual room setup.
For Biplane Systems, Check Both Planes
Confirm the frontal and lateral planes are each recognized, clear, and not generating separate collision or positioning warnings.
Verify one plane is not parked, angled, or positioned in a way that blocks the other.
Expected outcome: Both planes are safe and available for coordinated movement.
Check for Recent Accessory or Room Setup Changes
Ask whether a new table accessory, arm board, injector, anesthesia setup, monitor boom position, shield, or surgical equipment was added before the fault occurred.
Expected outcome: Any recent setup change that could interfere with movement is identified.
Attempt a Controlled Basic Movement Test
When no patient safety risk exists, attempt a small, slow movement using standard controls.
Observe whether movement is smooth, blocked, noisy, delayed, or immediately stopped by a warning.
Expected outcome: The fault is confirmed as either cleared, externally restricted, or still present.
If normal motion returns and no warnings remain, document the external cause and return the room to clinical use.
Perform a Safe System Reset Only If Appropriate
If the system is not in active patient use and clinical staff agree, perform the site-approved restart or reset process for the angiography system.
Do not repeatedly reset a system with active collision, motor, encoder, brake, or stand faults.
Expected outcome: Temporary control or software communication faults may clear without deeper intervention.
Verify Motion After Reset
After restart, confirm the ARTIS Q reaches ready state and performs basic positioning movement without warnings.
Expected outcome: The positioning system operates normally and safely.
If the same fault returns, remove the system from service and escalate.
If the Problem Persists
If the C-arm, floor/ceiling stand, or biplane positioning fault remains after checking obstructions, emergency stops, room setup, table clearance, controls, cables, and safe reset conditions, the issue is likely internal to the stand drive, encoder, brake, motor control, collision detection, communication, or positioning system.
The device should be:
- Removed from service
- Labeled Out of Service
- Sent for Siemens service repair or qualified bench/system evaluation
Do not continue procedure use on an angiography system with unreliable stand or C-arm positioning. Knowing when to stop is proper troubleshooting.
Clinical Use Tip
Do not troubleshoot stand or C-arm movement over an active patient unless the clinical team confirms it is safe. If positioning is unreliable, protect the patient first, stop motion, maintain the sterile field, and move the case to a safe alternate workflow if needed.
Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)
CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution
Complaint
What was reported by the clinical staff.
Example:
"Clinical staff reported the ARTIS Q biplane system would not move the lateral C-arm into the selected working position during case setup."
Cause
What was observed during troubleshooting.
Example:
"Troubleshooting found a monitor boom and floor cable positioned in the lateral plane travel path, causing a collision warning and movement inhibit."
Resolution
What action was taken.
Example:
"Cleared the obstruction with staff approval, verified basic frontal and lateral plane movement, confirmed no active positioning warnings, and returned the system to service."
Helpful Details to Include (If Known)
- Exact positioning fault or warning text
- Whether the fault involved frontal plane, lateral plane, floor stand, ceiling stand, or table
- Whether a patient was present
- Emergency stop status
- Collision warning behavior
- Table position and accessory setup
- Detector and tube clearance
- Cables, shields, booms, or carts found in travel path
- Control module or joystick behavior
- Any unusual sounds, vibration, jerky motion, heat, or smell
- Whether reset was performed
- Final device status
Final Thought
ARTIS Q positioning faults should be approached carefully because movement problems can directly affect patient safety, staff safety, sterile workflow, and procedure continuity. Start with visible external causes, respect all collision and interlock warnings, and escalate when motion remains unreliable. Clear CCR documentation helps show what was reported, what was found, and why the system was returned to service or removed for repair.
That is successful troubleshooting.