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Asset Type
Manufacturer
Model
Models Covered
GE Healthcare DASH 3000 Series patient monitors under the applicable software revision. The referenced service documentation also discusses DASH 4000 and DASH 5000 monitors, but this page is tied to the site's DASH 3000 Series model record. Confirm the exact model, software, installed options, applied-part type, and country configuration before testing.
Manual Reference
GE Medical Systems Information Technologies DASH 3000/4000/5000 Patient Monitor Service Manual, P/N 2000966-456D, for software version 6.5 or later; and GE Healthcare DASH 3000/4000/5000 Patient Monitor Service Manual Version 7, P/N 2023909-014 / 2023896-104. Use the service manual that matches the monitor's software and hardware configuration.
Manufacturer Recommendation / AEM Status
GE calls for qualified service personnel to perform regular maintenance, the Chapter 8 functional checkout, electrical-safety tests, and calibration checks every 12 months. Condition installed batteries every 6 months or as needed; recondition stored batteries every six months; clean the print head every 12 months or as usage demands; and admit/discharge a test patient annually to clear stored patient-data memory. This procedure preserves those intervals and is not an interval-extension AEM. Any AEM variation requires the facility's documented risk assessment and approval.
What This PM Procedure Covers
- Identity, software/options, service history, cleaning, annual visual inspection, cables, labels, controls, display, battery compartments, and printer
- Power-up, indicators, audio, keys, Trim Knob, battery operation, data-memory clearing, and alarm/display checks
- Configured ECG, respiration, temperature, cardiac-output, invasive-pressure, SpO₂, NIBP, CO₂, BISx, analog-output, and defibrillator-synchronization checks
- Writer, Unity Network, remote control, and wireless checks when installed
- Annual protective-earth, leakage-current, applied-part, pass/fail, restoration, and CMMS documentation requirements
Required Tools and Equipment
- Current configuration-matched DASH 3000 service and operator manuals and facility PM form
- Calibrated multiparameter patient simulator with ECG/respiration/temperature/invasive-pressure capability and compatible patient cables
- SpO₂ functional tester appropriate to the installed technology: GE Ohmeda, Masimo SET, or Nellcor OxiMax
- Calibrated digital manometer, 0–1000 mmHg range with 0.5% full-scale accuracy or better; NIBP cuff, rigid cylinder, tees, couplings, and tubing
- Cardiac-output, CO₂, and BISx test equipment when those options are installed
- Oscilloscope and precision voltmeter when analog-output or defibrillator-sync verification is required
- Electrical-safety analyzer, ECG cable, and compatible SpO₂ test body for applied-part leakage tests
- Approved cleaning materials, isopropyl alcohol for the print head/roller, nonabrasive lint-free cloth or cotton swab, and basic inspection tools
- Supported network connection, central station, remote control, and wireless test environment as configured
Step-by-Step PM Procedure
1. Remove the Monitor From Clinical Use
Action: Confirm no patient is connected, place the monitor under service control, remove reusable patient accessories for separate inspection, and perform all simulator and pressure tests on the bench. Never condition batteries or pressurize an NIBP cuff on a patient.
Expected outcome: The monitor is isolated from clinical use and safe for controlled testing.
2. Verify Identity, Software, and Installed Options
Action: Confirm the unit is a DASH 3000 Series monitor. Record asset tag, serial number, software revision, line voltage/country configuration, enabled parameters, SpO₂ technology, network/wireless configuration, battery type, recorder, docking or port accessories, and PM due date.
Expected outcome: The device, catalog record, test plan, and service manual revision agree. No test for an absent option is treated as a failure.
3. Review History and Diagnostic Information
Action: Review prior PMs, repairs, error logs, battery/runtime complaints, unexpected restarts, parameter faults, alarm problems, NIBP leaks, network drops, printer issues, liquid exposure, and impact damage. Resolve active corrective-maintenance concerns before PM completion.
Expected outcome: Repeat faults and unresolved safety issues are identified before performance testing.
4. Clean the Monitor and Printer
Action: Follow the current GE cleaning/disinfection instructions for the housing, display, controls, cables, and accessories. Prevent fluid entry and allow parts to dry. Clean the print head and roller with isopropyl alcohol and a nonabrasive cloth or cotton swab every 12 months or as usage demands.
Expected outcome: All surfaces are clean, dry, residue-free, and undamaged; the paper path and roller are clean.
5. Perform the Annual Visual and Mechanical Inspection
Action: Inspect the case, display glass, keypad, Trim Knob, handle/stand, vents, battery doors and contacts, AC inlet and cord, external connectors, network port, recorder, labels, patient cables, leadwires, sensors, hoses, cuffs, and option modules. Check for cracks, loose hardware, corrosion, bent pins, strain-relief damage, contamination, blocked ventilation, fluid ingress, or unreadable safety labels.
Expected outcome: The enclosure, connections, accessories, markings, and mechanical parts are intact and safe.
6. Verify Power-Up, Indicators, Controls, and Batteries
Action: Apply AC power and start the monitor. Verify the front-panel indicators illuminate, the AC indicator remains on, the optional alarm indicator lights red and amber, and an audible beep occurs at boot completion. Operate every front-panel key and the Trim Knob. Verify both battery-bay LEDs by removing one battery at a time, then verify battery operation and charging indication. Condition installed batteries every six months or as needed using the approved external analyzer/charger when available; never condition a battery during patient use.
Expected outcome: Startup completes without a persistent fault, all controls and indicators respond, batteries seat and switch correctly, and charging/runtime status is acceptable.
7. Clear Stored Test-Patient Data
Action: Admit and discharge a clearly identified test patient as described in the service manual. Confirm no real patient record is altered and no test record remains assigned to a clinical chart.
Expected outcome: Stored patient-data memory is cleared through the approved annual workflow.
8. Test ECG and Pacemaker/Lead-Fail Functions
Action: Connect a simulator and compatible ECG cable. Set normal sinus rhythm to 80 bpm at 1.0 mV. Verify a clean lead-II waveform, displayed rate of 80 ±1 bpm, availability of configured leads, QRS tone, pacemaker detection, lead-fail indication, automatic lead change, and a correctly displayed/printed 1 mV calibration pulse. Test 12-lead acquisition and transmission only when installed.
Expected outcome: ECG waveforms are clean, rate accuracy meets the OEM limit, pacing and lead-fail behavior are correct, and configured 12-lead workflow succeeds.
9. Test Respiration and Temperature
Action: Set the simulator respiration rate to 30 breaths/min and verify the displayed rate is 30 ±2 breaths/min with a stable waveform. Set temperature to 37.0°C and test each installed temperature channel.
Expected outcome: Respiration is within 30 ±2 breaths/min and each temperature channel reads 37.0 ±0.4°C.
10. Test Configured Hemodynamic and Specialty Parameters
Action: For each installed option, follow the configuration-matched service-manual sequence. For invasive pressure, zero at 0 mmHg, then apply 240 mmHg and verify 240/240 (240) ±4 mmHg; confirm a clean simulated 120/80 waveform. For cardiac output, verify the configured simulator result is approximately 37°C at 5 L/min ±5%. Verify CO₂ and BISx using their specified test equipment and current option documentation.
Expected outcome: Every installed parameter passes its OEM accuracy, waveform, alarm, and identification checks; absent options are documented as not applicable.
11. Test the Installed SpO₂ Technology
Action: Identify whether the monitor uses GE Ohmeda, Masimo SET, or Nellcor OxiMax SpO₂ and use only its compatible tester and service-manual table. For Masimo, verify pulse rate 61 ±1 bpm and SpO₂ 81 ±3%. For Nellcor OxiMax, verify the listed saturation points and pulse-rate limits, including 60 ±2 bpm and 200 bpm ±3% where applicable. Do not apply one technology's limits to another.
Expected outcome: The installed SpO₂ implementation passes every applicable OEM saturation, pulse-rate, and interference check.
12. Perform the NIBP Pressure and Pneumatic Test
Action: Connect the monitor, calibrated 0–1000 mmHg manometer, NIBP cuff, tubing, and tees exactly as shown in the service manual, with the cuff tightly wrapped around a rigid cylinder. Run the NIBP check-calibration test and compare the monitor to the manometer.
Expected outcome: Monitor and manometer readings remain equal within ±1 mmHg for at least one full minute. If they do not, repair leaks and perform NIBP calibration using the current manual. During gain calibration, a pressure loss of 1 mmHg or more every 5 seconds indicates a pneumatic leak. Do not calibrate NIBP merely because PM is due; GE says to calibrate only when the pressure test fails.
13. Verify Alarms, Display, Writer, and Analog/Defib Outputs
Action: Exercise parameter alarm limits and silence/acknowledge controls, verify audible and visual alarm behavior, set volume to 100% and confirm speaker response, inspect the display, and test all eight writer speeds when a recorder is installed. When required, verify ECG/BP analog and defibrillator-sync signals; 1 mV ECG input must produce 1 V analog output ±10%. Calibrate ECG or BP analog output only if its verification fails.
Expected outcome: Alarms, display, audio, writer, analog output, and defibrillator synchronization operate correctly for the installed configuration.
14. Verify Network, Remote Control, and Wireless Options
Action: Confirm Unity Network communication, care-unit visibility, central-station waveform/identity, patient-window function, and remote-control keys when installed. For wireless units, verify signal quality is 20 or greater, transmit rate is 5.5 or greater, and a continuous simulator waveform displays without gaps.
Expected outcome: Configured wired and wireless communication is stable, correctly identifies the monitor, and meets the OEM status limits.
15. Complete Electrical Safety Tests
Action: Perform the annual tests in the Electrical Safety Testing section below with the correct applied-part test accessories and analyzer settings. Record every reading and the analyzer's asset/calibration information.
Expected outcome: All protective-earth, enclosure, ground-wire, patient-source, and patient-sink leakage readings meet the applicable OEM limit.
16. Restore, Final-Check, and Document
Action: Remove simulators and test records, restore approved clinical settings and network assignment, reinstall serviceable batteries and accessories, verify date/time and alarm volume, complete a final startup, clean the exterior, and document readings, equipment IDs, parts, corrective action, and disposition.
Expected outcome: The monitor is complete, correctly configured, traceable, and either returned to service or clearly removed from service.
Electrical Safety Testing
GE requires electrical-safety testing every 12 months and after applicable repair/disassembly. Use qualified personnel and the current configuration-matched service manual because analyzer connections and limits depend on supply wiring and applied-part type.
- Power outlet and cord: Verify correct outlet wiring, intact strain relief, conductors, plug, and approved AC cord.
- Protective earth: When the test is required, the service manual lists 0.1 Ω for the production-style bond path and 0.2 Ω maximum from the detachable cord's earth pin to accessible protectively earthed metal.
- Ground-wire leakage: Maximum normal-condition value is 300 µA for the listed USA 100–120 V and center-tapped 200–240 V supplies, or 500 µA for a non-center-tapped 200–240 V single-phase supply. The listed single-fault maximum is 300 µA for those USA supply cases or 1000 µA otherwise.
- Enclosure/touch leakage: Maximum 100 µA in normal condition; single-fault maximum 300 µA for the listed USA supplies or 500 µA for a non-center-tapped 200–240 V single-phase supply.
- Patient-source leakage: Using the ECG and compatible SpO₂ test connections, maximum 10 µA with ground and neutral closed; no reading may exceed 50 µA under the listed single-fault states.
- Patient-sink leakage: Maximum 50 µA at 120–240 VAC using the ECG cable; observe all high-voltage analyzer precautions.
If local code, analyzer instructions, or the configuration-specific current manual is more restrictive, use the stricter requirement. Any value above its applicable limit is a failure.
Pass / Fail Criteria
PM Pass Criteria
- Correct DASH 3000 Series identity, software/manual applicability, configuration, inspection, cleaning, labels, enclosure, cables, accessories, controls, display, audio, printer, and batteries pass
- ECG 80 ±1 bpm; respiration 30 ±2 breaths/min; temperature 37.0 ±0.4°C; invasive pressure 240 ±4 mmHg; and configured cardiac-output/SpO₂ tests meet their applicable OEM limits
- NIBP remains within ±1 mmHg of the manometer for at least one minute with no leak of 1 mmHg or more per 5 seconds during the applicable calibration check
- Configured alarms, writer, analog/defib, network, remote-control, wireless, CO₂, BISx, and other installed-option tests pass
- All electrical-safety readings are at or below the applicable OEM limits; all test equipment, measured values, service actions, and final configuration are documented
Remove From Service Criteria
- Cracked, loose, wet, contaminated, corroded, overheated, or mechanically unsafe enclosure, cable, connector, battery, accessory, or unreadable safety label
- Any required parameter, NIBP, alarm, recorder, network/wireless, analog/defib, control, display, audio, startup, charging, or battery-runtime test fails
- Any protective-earth or leakage-current result exceeds its applicable limit
- The correct manual/software applicability cannot be confirmed, an unresolved error recurs, or approved clinical configuration cannot be restored
Copy/Paste CMMS Work Order Procedure
Use current GE documentation and qualified biomedical service personnel. Never test or condition batteries on a patient, never wrap the NIBP calibration cuff around a human arm, and never return a monitor with an unresolved functional, accuracy, alarm, electrical-safety, or configuration failure to clinical use.