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What This Guide Helps With
Troubleshooting Multix Impact workstation, DICOM send, worklist, archive, network, or image transfer failures before repair escalation.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
Ensure Patient Safety First
Confirm the Multix Impact is not actively acquiring patient images before restarting the workstation, disconnecting cables, or changing network connections.
If images were already acquired, verify with Radiology staff whether the images are stored locally and whether patient care depends on immediate image availability.
Expected outcome: Patient imaging and completed studies are protected before troubleshooting begins.
Confirm the Exact Communication Failure
Ask the technologist what failed and when it occurred.
Determine whether the issue involves:
- Worklist not loading
- Patient demographics not importing
- DICOM send failure
- Images stuck in send queue
- Study not reaching PACS
- Archive destination unavailable
- Wireless or wired network issue
- Workstation frozen or application error
- One exam failing or all exams failing
Expected outcome: The issue is separated into worklist, image send, archive, workstation, or network-related failure.
Check Whether the System Can Still Acquire Images
Confirm whether the system can still perform exposures and store images locally.
Do not assume the entire radiographic system has failed if only DICOM, worklist, or archive communication is affected.
Expected outcome: The issue is identified as either a communication problem only or a broader workstation/system problem.
Verify the Workstation Is Powered On and Responsive
Check that the acquisition workstation, monitor, keyboard, mouse, touch interface, and system console are powered and responding normally.
If the workstation is frozen, coordinate with the technologist before restarting. Confirm no active acquisition or unsaved image review is in progress.
Expected outcome: The workstation is operational enough to review studies, queues, and network status.
Check for Obvious Application Messages
Review the workstation screen for DICOM, network, archive, worklist, database, or storage-related alerts.
Note the exact wording of any error message before clearing or restarting anything.
Expected outcome: The reported issue is matched to a visible system message that can be documented or escalated accurately.
Verify Network Cable Connection if Wired
Inspect the network cable at the workstation, wall jack, floor box, or network drop if accessible.
Confirm the cable is fully seated, not damaged, not stretched, and connected to the correct network port.
If available, check for link/activity lights at the network port.
Expected outcome: A loose or disconnected network cable is corrected. If communication returns, document the cable issue and stop.
Check Wireless Network Status if Applicable
If the Multix Impact workstation uses wireless communication for worklist, PACS, or archive access, check whether the wireless connection shows connected status.
Confirm the issue is not isolated to a known wireless dead zone, access point issue, or temporary network outage.
Expected outcome: Wireless status is confirmed before assuming workstation or DICOM configuration failure.
Compare With Other Imaging Systems
Ask Radiology staff whether other X-ray rooms, mobile systems, CT, or other modalities are also having worklist or PACS send issues.
If multiple systems are affected, the problem may be network, PACS, RIS, worklist server, or hospital interface related rather than a Multix Impact failure.
Expected outcome: The issue is narrowed to this system only or identified as a broader department/network problem.
Check Worklist Function Separately From DICOM Send
Attempt to refresh or query the worklist if site workflow allows.
If worklist fails but DICOM send still works, the problem may involve RIS, modality worklist, network routing, or worklist configuration.
If DICOM send fails but worklist works, the problem may involve PACS/archive destination, DICOM queue, storage commitment, or destination availability.
Expected outcome: Worklist and image transfer are evaluated as separate communication paths.
Verify Patient and Exam Selection
Confirm that the exam was selected correctly and that patient demographics are complete enough for the expected workflow.
Incorrect, incomplete, or manually entered demographics can sometimes cause study matching, archive, or PACS routing problems.
Expected outcome: The failure is not due to incorrect patient selection, incomplete exam information, or workflow mismatch.
Review the DICOM Send Queue
Check whether images are queued, failed, pending, or already marked as sent.
If images are stuck in queue, note whether all destinations are failing or only one PACS/archive destination is affected.
Expected outcome: The problem is identified as a queue issue, destination issue, or failed send attempt.
Retry Send Only When Appropriate
If the workstation allows a normal resend and Radiology workflow permits it, retry sending one affected study or image set.
Avoid repeated blind resends if the queue is backing up, because this may create duplicate studies or overload the destination.
Expected outcome: A temporary send failure clears, or the repeated failure is confirmed for documentation and escalation.
Check Local Storage or Database Warnings
Look for messages indicating local storage full, database error, archive unavailable, or exam save failure.
A workstation with limited local storage or database problems may still acquire images but fail to process, send, or archive normally.
Expected outcome: Storage or database warnings are identified before deeper troubleshooting.
Restart the Workstation Only After Protecting Patient Data
If the workstation is unresponsive or communication services appear locked, restart only after confirming with Radiology staff that no active exam, unsaved image, or urgent patient workflow will be interrupted.
After restart, verify application startup, worklist query, and DICOM send status.
Expected outcome: A software or communication service lockup clears. If communication returns, document the restart and successful verification.
Check Date, Time, and System Identification
Confirm the workstation date and time appear correct.
Incorrect system time or identification can interfere with worklist queries, study matching, archive routing, or network authentication.
Expected outcome: Obvious date/time mismatch is ruled out or documented for escalation.
Verify Destination-Specific Failure
If multiple DICOM destinations are configured, check whether failure occurs with PACS only, archive only, printer only, or all destinations.
A single failed destination usually points toward PACS/archive/network configuration or destination availability. All destinations failing may suggest workstation network communication failure.
Expected outcome: The failure is narrowed to one destination or the entire communication path.
Check for Recent Changes
Ask whether there were recent changes to the workstation, network jack, IP address, PACS, RIS, firewall, wireless access points, or hospital network.
Recent IT or PACS changes are common causes of sudden worklist or DICOM communication failure.
Expected outcome: A change-related cause is identified or ruled out.
Coordinate With PACS, IT, or Radiology Informatics
If external checks are normal but communication still fails, contact the appropriate support group with the system name, room, IP address if available, destination affected, error message, and time of failure.
Expected outcome: Network, PACS, RIS, or DICOM destination issues are escalated with useful details.
Verify Function After Correction
After any correction, confirm the workstation can perform the affected function.
Depending on the original complaint, verify:
- Worklist refresh
- Patient demographics import
- DICOM send
- Study arrival in PACS
- Archive completion
- Failed queue cleared or properly managed
Expected outcome: The reported communication function is restored and confirmed with Radiology staff.
If the Problem Persists
If the Multix Impact still has workstation, DICOM, worklist, or archive communication failure after checking power, workstation responsiveness, network connection, wireless status, queue behavior, destination status, and broader network/PACS availability, common external causes have been ruled out.
The issue may involve workstation software, DICOM configuration, network adapter failure, local database problems, application services, PACS/RIS interface issues, or another internal/system-level fault.
The device should be:
- Removed from clinical use if images cannot be safely acquired, stored, reviewed, or transmitted according to department workflow
- Labeled Out of Service if the failure affects patient care or image availability
- Sent for repair, vendor support, or bench/system evaluation as appropriate
Knowing when to stop is proper troubleshooting. Repeated restarts, repeated resends, or unapproved configuration changes can create duplicate studies, lost images, or delayed care.
Clinical Use Tip
Do not troubleshoot communication, restart the workstation, or disconnect network cables during an active patient exam unless patient safety requires immediate action. If imaging must continue, have Radiology staff move the patient to another available system and protect any completed images before deeper troubleshooting.
Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)
CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution
Complaint
What was reported by the clinical staff.
Example:
"Radiology reported the Siemens Multix Impact worklist would not load and completed exams were not sending to PACS."
Cause
What was observed during troubleshooting.
Example:
"Workstation was responsive, image acquisition was available, but DICOM send queue showed repeated failed transfers while the network connection and cable were verified."
Resolution
What action was taken.
Example:
"Verified no active patient exam, checked workstation and network connections, confirmed issue was isolated to PACS communication, escalated to Radiology Informatics/vendor support, and labeled system limited use pending repair."
Helpful Details to Include (If Known)
- Whether the system could still acquire and store images locally
- Whether worklist, DICOM send, archive, or all communication functions failed
- Exact error message displayed
- Whether images were stuck in queue, failed, or pending
- Whether one study or all studies were affected
- Whether one destination or all destinations failed
- Network cable condition and link light status
- Wireless connection status, if applicable
- Whether other imaging systems had the same issue
- Recent IT, PACS, RIS, or network changes
- Whether workstation restart was performed
- Alarm behavior, application messages, or communication alerts observed
- Accessories swapped or external connections checked
- Power behavior of the workstation, console, monitor, and network equipment
- Environmental factors such as network outages, wireless dead zones, or recent room changes
- Indicator lights, network link lights, or wireless status indicators
- Final device status: in service, limited use, or out of service
Final Thought
Multix Impact communication troubleshooting should follow a clear path: protect patient images first, confirm the exact failure, check workstation and network basics, separate worklist from DICOM send issues, and escalate when the problem moves beyond safe external checks. Good documentation helps Clinical Engineering, Radiology, PACS, IT, and vendor support resolve the issue faster.
That is successful troubleshooting.