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What This Guide Helps With
Troubleshooting Ysio Max DICOM send failures, missing Modality Worklist exams, or network communication issues before escalating for repair.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
Ensure Patient Safety First
Do not troubleshoot network or image transfer problems while delaying urgent patient care.
Action:
- Confirm whether the patient exam is complete.
- If imaging is still needed, have staff continue using the Ysio Max locally if acquisition is working.
- If the system cannot safely support the exam workflow, move the patient to another radiographic room or approved backup process.
Expected outcome: Patient care continues while the communication issue is isolated.
Why it matters: A DICOM or worklist issue is usually not an exposure safety issue, but it can delay care, prevent image availability, or create documentation risk.
If this resolves the clinical workflow concern, document the downtime process and continue troubleshooting when safe.
Verify the Reported Communication Problem
Confirm exactly what part of the workflow is failing.
Action:
- Ask staff whether the issue is:
- DICOM send failure
- Images stuck in queue
- PACS destination unavailable
- Modality Worklist not updating
- Wrong patient data returned
- Unable to query worklist
- Network connection warning
- Remote viewer or archive unavailable
- Check whether image acquisition itself still works.
Expected outcome: The failure is narrowed to sending, receiving worklist data, network access, or destination availability.
Why it matters: A worklist failure, PACS send failure, and total network loss are different problems even though staff may report them all as “network down.”
Check for Hospital-Wide PACS, RIS, or Network Issues
Before assuming the Ysio Max is defective, determine whether other systems are affected.
Action:
- Check another imaging room, mobile X-ray, CT, or workstation if available.
- Ask imaging staff whether PACS, RIS, or worklist issues are occurring elsewhere.
- Contact the help desk, PACS administrator, or radiology IT support if a broader outage is suspected.
Expected outcome: You determine whether the problem is isolated to the Ysio Max or part of a larger network/PACS/RIS issue.
If multiple systems are affected, stop device-level troubleshooting and document that the issue appears external to the Ysio Max.
Confirm the System Is Fully Powered and Logged In
Verify that the acquisition workstation and imaging system are in a normal ready state.
Action:
- Check that the Ysio Max workstation is powered on.
- Confirm the user is logged in properly.
- Look for system warnings, communication icons, queue errors, or application messages.
- Confirm the system date and time appear correct.
Expected outcome: The system is operational and not blocked by a login, software state, or obvious workstation error.
Why it matters: DICOM and worklist communication can fail if the workstation is not fully initialized, the imaging application is not running correctly, or system time is incorrect.
Check the Physical Network Connection
Inspect the external network connection before changing settings.
Action:
- Check the network cable at the wall jack and workstation/network connection point.
- Look for a loose, damaged, stretched, or unplugged cable.
- Verify link lights if visible at the network port or network adapter.
- Confirm the cable is connected to the correct wall jack if the room has multiple ports.
Expected outcome: The system has a secure physical network connection.
If the cable was loose or disconnected, reconnect it, allow the system to re-establish communication, then retry the worklist query or DICOM send.
If this resolves the issue, stop and document the correction.
Confirm the Correct Network Port or Wall Jack Is Being Used
Make sure the system is not connected to an inactive or wrong network drop.
Action:
- Compare the connection to room labeling or known-good configuration.
- Ask IT or facilities whether the wall jack is active.
- If allowed by site policy, test the port with an approved network tester or have IT verify switch-port activity.
Expected outcome: The Ysio Max is connected to an active network drop assigned for imaging equipment.
Why it matters: Radiographic systems often require specific network routing, firewall rules, VLAN access, or static addressing. A normal-looking network jack may not be configured for DICOM traffic.
Review the DICOM Send Queue
Check whether images are failing, pending, or waiting to send.
Action:
- Open the DICOM send/export queue or image transfer status area.
- Look for failed jobs, pending jobs, repeated retries, or destination errors.
- Note the destination name, time of failure, accession number, and any displayed error text.
- Retry one failed image only if site policy allows and the destination is believed to be available.
Expected outcome: You identify whether the system is creating images but failing during transmission.
If a retry succeeds, monitor the queue until it clears, then document that the DICOM queue recovered.
If failures continue, proceed with network and destination checks.
Confirm the Correct Destination Is Selected
Verify that images are being sent to the intended PACS, archive, or routing destination.
Action:
- Check whether the selected destination matches the normal site workflow.
- Confirm staff did not accidentally select an alternate destination, test destination, CD/DVD export, local-only storage, or wrong archive.
- Compare with another working room if needed.
Expected outcome: The image transfer destination is appropriate for the exam workflow.
If the wrong destination was selected, correct the workflow, resend the images if appropriate, and stop if the issue is resolved.
Check Modality Worklist Query Behavior
If the issue is missing or unavailable worklist exams, verify the query conditions.
Action:
- Confirm the correct date range is selected.
- Check whether the patient location, modality, scheduled station, room, or department filter is too restrictive.
- Search by accession number or patient name if allowed by workflow.
- Confirm the order exists in the RIS/EHR before assuming the Ysio Max failed.
Expected outcome: You determine whether the order is missing from the source system or blocked by a query/filter mismatch.
Why it matters: Many “worklist not working” calls are caused by scheduling, order status, department mismatch, or overly narrow search filters.
If the order appears after correcting filters, stop and document the workflow correction.
Verify Patient and Exam Data
Check whether images are failing because of incomplete or incorrect exam information.
Action:
- Confirm patient name, MRN, accession number, study description, and exam status.
- Check for manually entered exams with missing accession numbers.
- Confirm whether the exam was started from worklist or entered manually.
Expected outcome: Patient and exam data are complete enough for the PACS/RIS workflow.
Why it matters: PACS or routing rules may reject studies with missing accession numbers, wrong modality data, or mismatched patient identifiers.
Confirm Network Settings Were Not Recently Changed
Ask whether any known changes occurred before the issue started.
Action:
- Check with radiology IT, PACS, or the help desk for recent changes involving:
- PACS server
- RIS/worklist server
- AE Title
- IP address
- Port number
- Hostname
- Firewall rules
- VLAN or switch replacement
- Certificate/security updates
Expected outcome: You identify whether the failure began after a known IT or PACS change.
Why it matters: DICOM communication depends on matching network parameters between the modality and the receiving system. A server-side change can make a previously working system fail.
Restart the Application or Workstation if Safe
If no patient is active and local policy allows, perform a controlled restart.
Action:
- Confirm no active acquisition or unsent critical exam is at risk.
- Close and reopen the imaging application if available.
- If needed, perform a controlled workstation/system restart according to site procedure.
- After restart, test worklist query and DICOM send with a noncritical or completed exam.
Expected outcome: Temporary application or communication lockup clears.
If communication returns after restart, monitor the queue and document the recovery.
Test with a Known-Good Workflow
Use a controlled test to separate system failure from order/workflow issues.
Action:
- Have staff create or identify a valid test/scheduled exam if site policy allows.
- Query the worklist.
- Acquire or use a permitted test image if appropriate.
- Send to the normal PACS destination.
Expected outcome: The system either communicates normally with a valid workflow or continues to fail despite correct setup.
Why it matters: A known-good test prevents chasing a problem caused by one bad order, one failed study, or one incorrect destination.
Escalate to PACS/IT When External Network Causes Are Likely
If the system appears functional but cannot communicate, involve the correct support group.
Action:
- Provide PACS/IT with:
- Ysio Max room/location
- System IP address if known
- AE Title if known
- Destination name
- Time of failed send or query
- Accession number or test study used
- Displayed error message
- Whether other modalities are affected
Expected outcome: PACS/IT can check server logs, firewall rules, routing, switch status, and destination availability.
Why it matters: Clinical Engineering can verify the device-side basics, but PACS/RIS/server-side failures usually require IT or imaging informatics support.
Do Not Change DICOM Configuration Without Approval
Avoid making configuration changes unless authorized and documented.
Action:
- Do not change AE Title, IP address, port, hostname, DICOM destination, or worklist settings casually.
- Only make changes when directed by approved site procedure, Siemens service, PACS administration, or validated configuration records.
Expected outcome: The system configuration remains controlled and traceable.
Why it matters: Incorrect DICOM changes can break routing, cause patient data issues, or affect multiple downstream systems.
If the Problem Persists
If power, login state, network cabling, wall jack status, queue behavior, destination selection, worklist filters, patient demographics, and known PACS/IT issues have been checked, then external room-level, workflow, and basic network causes have been ruled out. The likely cause may be an internal workstation software issue, network adapter issue, DICOM configuration problem, or server-side integration failure.
The Ysio Max should be removed from clinical use if images cannot be safely stored, transferred, or associated with the correct patient record. The system should be labeled Out of Service if normal imaging workflow cannot be maintained and sent for repair, bench evaluation, Siemens service, PACS support, or IT/network support as appropriate.
Knowing when to stop is proper troubleshooting. Do not perform deep software reconfiguration, unsupported network changes, or internal workstation repair without authorization.
Clinical Use Tip
Do not troubleshoot communication failures during an active patient exam if it delays care. Move the patient to a backup device or another imaging room first if therapy continuity or imaging workflow cannot be maintained. Complete the exam safely, use the approved downtime process, verify images are stored locally if possible, and move to another imaging room if PACS or worklist communication cannot be restored quickly.
Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)
CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution
Complaint
What was reported by the clinical staff.
Example:
"Radiology reported the Siemens Ysio Max could acquire images, but DICOM sends were failing and the Modality Worklist was not updating."
Cause
What was observed during troubleshooting.
Example:
"Found the system connected to an inactive network wall jack after the room network cable had been moved during cleaning."
Resolution
What action was taken.
Example:
"Reconnected the Ysio Max to the correct active network jack, confirmed worklist query returned scheduled exams, resent queued images to PACS, and returned the room to service."
Helpful Details to Include (If Known)
- Alarm behavior, communication warning, queue error, or displayed message documented
- Accessories swapped, network cable condition checked, and connection point verified
- Power behavior, workstation power, login state, and application readiness verified
- Environmental factors, room network changes, cleaning activity, or moved cables noted
- Indicator lights, wall jack status, and switch-port status verified by IT if applicable
- Worklist query behavior observed
- DICOM queue status reviewed
- Failed destination name recorded
- Patient, exam, and accession information verified
- Other imaging systems checked for similar issues
- PACS/RIS/help desk ticket number included if applicable
- Final device status documented
Final Thought
Ysio Max communication troubleshooting should follow a logical path: protect patient care first, verify the reported failure, check external network and workflow causes, then involve PACS, IT, or Siemens service when the issue is no longer device-accessory or room-level. Good documentation is especially important because DICOM and worklist problems often cross Clinical Engineering, Radiology, PACS, and IT responsibilities.
That is successful troubleshooting.