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What This Guide Helps With
Use this guide when wash, waste, liquid handling, or another fluidics condition prevents normal analyzer operation or produces repeated faults.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
1. Protect Patient Testing and Check for Leakage
Stop patient testing if the analyzer's fluidics cannot be trusted.
Immediately inspect for:
- Active leakage
- Fluid pooling
- Overflow
- Strong odor
- Fluid near electrical components
- Unusual pump or mechanical noise
If significant leakage is present, stop troubleshooting and remove the analyzer from service.
Expected outcome: The analyzer is confirmed safe for limited external inspection. Any significant leak results in immediate escalation.
2. Identify the Fluidic Condition
Determine whether the reported problem involves:
- Wash solution
- Waste
- Another consumable fluid
- Fluid delivery
- Drainage
- Repeated aspiration
- A specific assay or analyzer-wide operation
Record the exact displayed condition.
Expected outcome: The affected fluid pathway or consumable category is identified.
3. Verify External Fluid Supplies
Inspect applicable externally accessible fluid containers or supplies.
Confirm:
- Correct fluid is installed
- Container is not empty
- Container is correctly seated
- Tubing is not visibly kinked or disconnected
- Caps and connections are secure
- No obvious contamination is present
Do not substitute unapproved fluid.
Expected outcome: Required external fluids are present and correctly connected. If restoring a missing or disconnected supply resolves the fault, troubleshooting can stop after verification.
4. Verify Waste Condition
Inspect the waste system components accessible to normal maintenance.
Check for:
- Full waste container
- Improperly seated waste container
- Kinked waste tubing
- Loose external waste connection
- Obvious blockage at an accessible connector
- Leakage around the waste path
Follow appropriate biological and chemical safety precautions.
Expected outcome: Waste can be safely collected and routed without visible obstruction. If correcting the external waste condition clears the fault, proceed to verification.
5. Inspect Accessible Tubing and Connections
Without removing internal panels, visually inspect accessible fluid lines and connectors for:
- Kinks
- Pinching
- Loose connections
- Cracks
- Air gaps inconsistent with normal appearance
- Evidence of leakage
- Tubing displaced by recent maintenance
Do not disconnect internal fluid lines unless the procedure is explicitly authorized.
Expected outcome: Accessible tubing is intact and correctly routed. A simple external connection problem can be corrected and verified.
6. Check Consumables and Maintenance Status
Confirm any required wash-related consumables are installed and that no routine operator-level maintenance condition has been missed.
Review whether the problem occurred:
- After fluid replacement
- After waste handling
- After cleaning
- After analyzer restart
- Immediately following another maintenance action
Expected outcome: External maintenance prerequisites are satisfied and the timing of the fault is understood.
7. Perform an Approved Prime or Recovery Function Only if Authorized
If normal operator or maintenance procedures provide an approved fluidics recovery, prime, or rinse function, perform it only after external causes have been corrected.
Do not repeatedly run recovery cycles against an unresolved leak, blockage, or empty supply.
Expected outcome: The fluidics system completes the approved recovery process without recurrence of the fault. If so, continue to final verification.
8. Verify Analyzer Operation
Using suitable nonpatient material, verify:
- No wash or waste fault returns
- Aspiration proceeds normally
- Fluid handling completes
- No leakage develops
- Required QC remains acceptable
Expected outcome: Fluidics operation is stable and required laboratory checks are satisfactory. Troubleshooting can stop.
9. Escalate Persistent Fluidics Faults
If external supplies, waste, tubing, consumables, and approved recovery actions are normal but the fault returns, remove the analyzer from service.
Do not disassemble internal pumps, valves, tubing manifolds, or liquid sensors unless trained and authorized.
Expected outcome: A likely internal fluidics condition is documented and escalated.
If the Problem Persists
If fluid supplies, waste handling, accessible tubing, consumables, visible leaks, and approved external recovery steps have been verified, common external causes have been ruled out.
Remaining possibilities include internal pump, valve, pressure, flow, liquid-sensing, tubing, drainage, or control problems.
The analyzer should be:
- Removed from service
- Labeled Out of Service
- Sent for repair or qualified service evaluation
- Evaluated using Siemens Healthineers documentation and approved test equipment
- Repaired or configured only by qualified personnel
After repair, inspect for leaks, verify fluid handling, complete appropriate functional testing, and confirm required QC before patient testing resumes.
Knowing when to stop external troubleshooting is proper troubleshooting.
Clinical Use Tip
Treat any significant analyzer fluid leak as both an equipment and contamination hazard; remove the system from use rather than continuing operation.
Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)
CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution
Complaint
What was reported by the clinical staff.
Example:
"Laboratory staff reported a recurring waste-system fault on the Atellica IM 1600 that stopped sample processing."
Cause
What was observed during troubleshooting.
Example:
"Clinical Engineering found the external waste container was full and not allowing normal waste handling."
Resolution
What action was taken.
Example:
"Waste was handled according to facility procedure, the container was correctly reinstalled, analyzer fluidics operated normally, and required verification was completed."
Helpful Details to Include (If Known)
- Exact wash, waste, or fluidics message
- Fluid or waste component involved
- Container level and seating
- Accessible tubing condition
- Evidence of leaks or spills
- Recent fluid replacement or maintenance
- Approved recovery action performed
- Whether the fault recurred
- QC or functional verification result
- Final analyzer status
Final Thought
Fluidics troubleshooting should begin with safety, leaks, supplies, waste, and visible tubing before considering internal pumps or valves. Stable fluid handling and successful verification are required before the analyzer returns to patient testing.
That is successful troubleshooting.