Top 5 Tips When Your CT Is Not Scanning

Receiving errors when attempting to scan a patient is the last thing a CT technologist wants to see. Everything from a full schedule of patients, scanning trauma patients and then receiving scan errors can lead to a lot of stress, but there is no need to panic. We are always here to help when your CT is not scanning. Below, we provide a few quick tips to utilize when your CT system is not scanning.

Quick tips to resolving scan hardware stopped scan and operator paused scan errors when your CT is not scanning

5 Tips When Your CT Is Not Scanning

1. Verify CT Gantry Status

Most scan hardware errors are due to communication issues with the CT gantry, that is why it is important to recognize the characteristics of a CT system that is ready to scan. Take a look inside the scan room for a quick status check.

• CT Systems that are ready to scan will show a number at the top of the gantry (as seen above) indicating that the cradle encoder is tracking correctly. If you see flashing 8’s, move your table all the way out towards the home position. Then down/up, in/out until the encoder begins tracking at the top of the gantry.

• A green LED status light should also be illuminated on the left and right gantry interface panels. If green LED is off or blinking, press the button next to it (Labeled as button #1). Also press this button if your receive “x-ray drive and power disabled” error. This is your emergency reset button that can sometimes be tripped by bumping into the side of the cradle, pushing emergency off buttons, or by performing system shutdowns.
• Cradle is released – (Indicated by green 3-prong cradle status light at the top of the gantry) Press the cradle latch button on either the left or right side gantry interface panel (Labeled as button #2)
• If you do not see any lights on the gantry and your operator console has completely booted up but your CT system still not scanning, please skip to #3 Perform Scan Hardware reset

2. View CT System Error Message Log

Your CT system log updates every 5 seconds and will show the cause for your Scan Hardware Stopped Scan failure or any other system issues. Detailed instructions and video are provided below as reference.

Instructions for viewing CT error log

• 1. On right side monitor, click on your System Status bar (it is the grey button located under your film composer status, it will sometimes have a message such as “scanner hardware reset successful” but will most often have no message)
• 2. A screen will populate that will show various system status messages. Close, View Log, Clear, and Memo buttons can be seen at the bottom of this screen. Review the status messages as they can be indicative of cause of issue. If there is no status message relating to issue, click on “View Log” to view error log
• 3. Your system log will populate and error messages will be listed in chronological order with the most recent messages at the bottom. Important: Wait 5-10 seconds and then click “Last Page” when it is no longer grayed out to view the most recent error message.
• 4. Click on “Prior” and “Next” to scroll by page or use the scroll bar on the right side of monitor. Analyze error messages to see if there is a message regarding scan failure. Use the timestamps to match the error messages to the time of original scan failure.

3. Perform Scan Hardware Reset

If you have lost communication with at least one of the controllers of your CT system, a scan hardware reset may be necessary to re-establish communications between the operator console and CT Gantry. Detailed instructions are provided below:

• Important: Before attempting scan hardware reset, make sure to end all exams, as this could lead to error acquiring scan resources during scan hardware reset.
• 1. Click on the Service icon that is located on the top left corner of your right-side monitor. It is located next to the “Exam Rx” icon.
• 2. Wait for Service Browser to populate. Then click on “System Resets” on the bottom left corner of service browser.
• 3. System Resets menu will populate. Click on “Scan” to make sure it is highlighted and then click on “Run.” You will receive message stating hadware reset is being performed. This process will take about 5 minutes. *If scan reset fails, makes sure to end all exams and perform scan reset procedure once again. If successful, continue scanning.
• 4. If failures persist, check the system error log to see detailed message regarding scan reset failure. Refer to #2 Check Your System Error Log

4. Perform System Shutdown and Reboot

If the previous tips have not already helped you resolve your issue, a full system shutdown or system reboot may be necessary.

Important: Always follow proper shutdown procedure. Failure to do so may lead to hardware or software damage.

After “system halted” message appears on your screen, it is safe to power off console using flip-switch located on the left side of console unit.

*Consult with engineering staff before powering off any electrical panels.

It is recommended to shutdown system from main disconnect and wait at least 30 seconds before restarting system. Pressing Start or On button may be necessary to restore power to system from main disconnect. Do not attempt to power off or on any electrical unit you have not had proper training handling.

Once power has been restored to gantry, flip the console power switch to the “On” position and wait for system to finish booting to applications. Perform QA scan and asses system status.

5. Take Pictures and Call Your Service Engineer

If you have tried all of our previous tips and your are still receiving “Scan Hardware Stopped Scan” errors, or others that may limit scanning abilities, it may be time to call in your CT repair service engineer.

Hardware issues are the most likely reason your CT system is not scanning. In order to streamline communication, it is best practice to take a picture of your CT system error log and forward it to your CT system service provider.

Viewing your error log and forwarding information to your service provider allows your service engineers to prepare by ordering appropriate parts. This practice can significantly decrease system downtime.

Overview

Taking a proactive approach to scan hardware stopped scan error messages can help to minimize system downtime and possibly resolve system issues. If the above tips, did not already resolve your scan issues, give us a call for on-site CT scanner repair service.

Are you in the market for a new CT scanner? See our CT scanner price guide for updated pricing.

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