How to Connect an OEC 9900 & 9800 DICOM to PACS
Matt Lenart: November 18, 2024
Who would love to see their CT scanner running at peak performance all the time? Put your hand down (that was a rhetorical question) and read the following tips that will help bring you closer to the dream: MAXIMUM UPTIME!
Increase Your CT Uptime
Address Intermittent Issues Early
Intermittent error codes or failures are, in many cases, a sign of future system downtime. Address these problems before they put you hard down. This is especially important for clinics that run their system 5-7 days per week. If you can schedule an engineer to come onsite one day that the system is not in use, they could help you avoid an impending system failure.
Stick to Your Preventative Maintenance Schedule
I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but it’s true: preventative maintenance (PM) is vital to your CT scanner’s uptime. Many times you may not even be aware that your system has a problem that needs to be addressed until an engineer reviews the error logs. Checking connections, testing image quality, greasing bearings, cleaning fans, and making backups of your system data are just a few things that will be addressed during a CT PM.
Maintain the Proper CT Suite Environment
Room environment is crucial to the life of many CT scanner parts. Failing to maintain proper room temperature (recommended to be kept between 65-72° F) can in many cases lead to component damage.
Humidity is another atmospheric factor that needs to be monitored. Ideally these levels will be kept within 40-70% relative, non-condensing humidity. These conditions need to be maintained at all times in the CT suite (yes, this includes holidays and weekends). It may be advisable to purchase a basic alarm system that will activate if these levels are exceeded.
The Takeaway
While these tips aren’t a cure-all for every CT scanner complication in the book, they can certainly help reduce your likelihood of system failure and subsequent downtime. If you’d like to learn more CT scanner tips, try one of the articles below.
- CT Scanner Service Resources
- CT Scanner Service Cost Price Info
- How to Choose the Best CT Scanner Service Provider
- How to Recover Siemens CT From “Fatal Error in Reconstruction System”
- How to Extend the Life of Your Toshiba Aquilion CT Tube
If you’d like to find out how Block Imaging can help you boost your uptime, try out our new Imaging Equipment Service Buyer’s Guide.
