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What This Guide Helps With
Troubleshoots unavailable patient-table or positioning movement caused by safety conditions, obstructions, controls, connections, configuration, or incomplete system readiness.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
1. Protect the Patient Before Testing Motion
If a patient is on the table, do not continue troubleshooting unreliable positioning motion while the patient depends on the equipment.
Safely support or remove the patient as appropriate. Prevent unintended movement and ensure no person, cable, coil, accessory, or object is in a pinch or travel area.
Expected outcome: The patient is safe and the table or positioning system can be evaluated without clinical dependency.
2. Confirm the Exact Motion Problem
Determine whether the issue affects:
- All movement
- One direction only
- Table travel
- Table release or docking
- Position controls at one location
- Positioning only during scan setup
Confirm whether the problem is continuous or intermittent.
Expected outcome: The failed motion function is clearly identified. If correct operation is demonstrated and the complaint cannot be reproduced, perform functional verification before stopping.
3. Verify the MRI System Is Fully Ready
Confirm the uMR 790 has completed startup and is not in a fault, emergency-stop, shutdown, or initialization state.
Motion may be intentionally inhibited if another required system condition is not satisfied.
Expected outcome: The system is in its normal operating state with no obvious condition inhibiting movement. If normal readiness restores motion, verify operation and stop.
4. Inspect the Table and Travel Path
Check for:
- Physical obstructions
- Patient belongings
- Coils or cables interfering with movement
- Linens caught in moving areas
- Accessories installed incorrectly
- Equipment positioned within the travel path
Do not force a table or positioning mechanism against resistance.
Expected outcome: The movement path is clear and the table can travel without obstruction. If removing an obstruction restores normal motion, verify full safe movement and stop.
5. Check Accessible Positioning Controls
Inspect normal operator controls for:
- Stuck or damaged buttons
- Contamination
- Physical damage
- Controls that respond at one location but not another
Test only normal clinical controls. Do not access hidden service functions.
Expected outcome: Accessible controls respond normally. If one external control is found defective but another approved control operates normally, remove the defective control or system from service as appropriate until repaired.
6. Inspect External Table and Accessory Connections
Where accessible and intended for routine connection, inspect table, coil, accessory, or control connections that may affect positioning readiness.
Look for loose, damaged, contaminated, or partially seated connections.
Expected outcome: External connections are secure and undamaged. If correcting an approved external connection restores movement, verify motion throughout the required range and stop.
7. Check Positioning Setup and Interlocks
Verify that the patient setup, accessory configuration, table position, and normal operator selections are appropriate for the intended movement.
Do not bypass interlocks or safety protections.
Expected outcome: No normal safety interlock or setup condition is preventing motion. If correcting the setup restores motion, confirm proper operation and stop.
8. Perform Controlled Functional Testing
With the table unloaded when practical, test the affected movement using normal controls.
Observe for:
- Smooth operation
- Unexpected stops
- Jerking
- Grinding or abnormal noise
- Inconsistent response
- Recurrent loss of motion
Stop immediately if abnormal mechanical behavior occurs.
Expected outcome: Movement is smooth, predictable, and repeatable. If so, troubleshooting can stop after return-to-service checks.
9. Escalate Persistent Motion Failure
If controls, obstructions, positioning, system readiness, and external connections are correct but motion remains unavailable or unreliable, discontinue use.
Expected outcome: The system is removed from service and referred for qualified service evaluation.
If the Problem Persists
Common external causes have been ruled out. Remaining possibilities may include internal motion control, sensors, drives, interlocks, mechanical assemblies, system communication, or configuration requiring manufacturer-level evaluation.
The device should be:
- Removed from service
- Labeled Out of Service
- Sent for repair or bench/service evaluation
- Evaluated using appropriate United Imaging documentation and approved test equipment
- Repaired or configured only by qualified personnel
Do not force movement, bypass safety interlocks, or perform deep mechanical disassembly.
Knowing when to stop external troubleshooting is proper troubleshooting. Following repair, verify safe table movement, positioning controls, interlocks, and complete imaging readiness before return to clinical use.
Clinical Use Tip
Keep all coils, cables, linens, and patient equipment clear of table travel and pinch areas before commanding movement.
Work Order Documentation (CCR Method)
CCR = Complaint, Cause, Resolution
Complaint
What was reported by the clinical staff.
Example:
"MRI staff reported that the uMR 790 patient table would not advance into the scan position."
Cause
What was observed during troubleshooting.
Example:
"Clinical Engineering found a coil cable routed into the table travel path and interfering with normal movement."
Resolution
What action was taken.
Example:
"The cable was rerouted correctly, table motion was tested through the required range, and normal positioning operation was verified."
Helpful Details to Include (If Known)
- Exact direction or movement affected
- Whether all positioning controls are affected
- Table position when failure occurs
- Presence of obstruction
- Coil and cable routing
- Accessory configuration
- Emergency-stop status
- Abnormal sound or motion
- Results with table unloaded
- Final motion verification
Final Thought
Protect the patient from unintended movement, rule out obstructions and external setup problems first, and never force an unreliable positioning mechanism. Verify normal movement after correction and document the completed work clearly.
That is successful troubleshooting.