Anaesthesia Machine Service — Level 2: Fault-Finding
From the failed checkout to the failed module: gas supply, flow control, vaporisers, breathing system, ventilator, monitoring
Part of the program: Anaesthesia Machine Service Engineer — full program (23 h) →
Level 1 taught you to check, maintain and verify an anaesthesia workstation. Level 2 starts when the checkout fails anyway, or passes while the anaesthetist still complains. This course teaches the engineer to read the checkout result and the machine's log as evidence, split the machine into gas supply, flow control, vaporisers, breathing system, ventilator and monitoring, and separate them with a test lung, an analyser and the machine's own tests until one module is left - and then prove the repair and write down who decides that the machine is fit for use.
Two flow sensors were replaced. The PEEP stayed at ten because the air line was full of water.
- Flow sensors, O2 cells and whole breathing systems are replaced because the checkout named them, while the real cause - wet air from a compressor, a cracked seal under a vaporiser, a wrong test circuit - sits one step away and comes back next week.
- Leaks and compliance failures are chased by tightening everything in sight, without splitting the machine into zones, so a twenty-minute isolation becomes a two-day job and a new leak is made on the way.
- Machines go back to theatre after a repair on the strength of a passed self-test, without an independent analyser, without checking the oxygen protections and without a record that says who released them.
After the course you can
Curriculum
Treat a failed checkout or a clinical complaint as evidence, place it on a map of the machine's subsystems, separate them with a test lung, analysers and the machine's own tests, and know which adjustments and repairs are yours to make.free
22 min02Gas supply faults: pipelines, cylinders, regulators, check valves and the oxygen protections
Prove or exclude a gas supply fault by measuring under flow, find regulator, check valve and contamination faults, and test the oxygen failure protection and hypoxic guard as the manufacturer describes, without adjusting what you are not authorised to adjust.24 min03Flow control faults: needle valves and flowtubes, electronic flow measurement, mixers and total flow
Find out whether a wrong or unstable fresh gas flow comes from the supply, the flow control valve, the measurement or a leak downstream, by testing gas by gas against a calibrated reference, and know which flow control repairs belong in the field.24 min04Vaporisers: types, interlocks and mounts, leaks and concentration checks with an analyser
Prove whether a vaporiser, its mount or something else is responsible for a leak, agent smell, high consumption or wrong concentration, using leak tests and an agent analyser, and send a faulty vaporiser to the manufacturer or an approved workshop instead of repairing it.24 min05The breathing system: leaks and compliance, valves, absorber, APL, bag/vent switch, water and heat
Localise leaks and compliance faults in the circle system section by section, diagnose valve, absorber, APL and bag/vent switch faults that a static leak test cannot see, and deal with water and heat in the circuit.25 min06The anaesthesia ventilator: drive gas, bellows and piston drives, PEEP, sensors and typical faults
Separate ventilator faults from breathing system and measurement faults, diagnose drive gas, bellows, piston, PEEP and pressure-relief problems on a test lung, and recognise the pattern of water in the ventilator pneumatics.25 min07Gas monitoring and scavenging: sidestream analysers, calibration gas, sample exhaust and the AGSS
Follow a gas reading fault along the sample path from the patient connection to the exhaust, decide when calibration with approved gas is the right step and when it would hide a fault, and diagnose scavenging faults that affect both the theatre air and the breathing system.24 min08Complex cases and return to service: multiple faults, intermittent faults, verification, records and who decides fitness for use
Work through faults with several symptoms, several causes or no fixed pattern, and return a repaired anaesthesia machine to service with checkout, performance verification, electrical safety and a record that states clearly what was proven and who decided that the machine is fit for clinical use.25 min—Exam
25 · 40 min · 75 %
The certificate
Pass the exam and get a certificate of course completion with your name, hours and score. Every certificate has a unique number and a public verification page, so an employer or a customer can check it in one click. It confirms completion of the course; it is not an educational document (diploma) and not a manufacturer authorisation.
Who it is for
Who it is for
- Engineers who have completed Anaesthesia Workstation Service — Level 1 or have equivalent experience
- Field engineers in independent service companies
- Hospital biomedical / clinical engineering teams that diagnose and repair anaesthesia machines in-house
Who teaches
Written by a service engineer working with medical equipment since 2014, including 6.5 years at GE Healthcare and service supervision at Mindray, together with the engineers of Service Engineer.
FAQ
Is this manufacturer training?
No. It is independent, vendor-neutral training. It does not replace the manufacturer's service procedures, does not grant authorisation or access to service software, passwords or option codes, and every repair must still be followed by the tests and calibrations the manufacturer requires.
Do I need Level 1 first?
Anaesthesia Workstation Service — Level 1 is the prerequisite: the gas path, gas safety, the pre-use checkout, planned maintenance with the manufacturer's kit, verification with analysers and IEC 62353 testing are assumed here and not repeated. The model courses on the GE Carestation and the Dräger Fabius and the Pneumatics course go deeper into individual machines and parts.
Does it teach vaporiser repair or recalibration?
No. It teaches how to prove that a vaporiser is faulty and how to keep it out of use. Vaporiser repair and recalibration belong to the manufacturer or an approved workshop.
Will I work on a machine connected to a patient?
Never. Every test in this course is done on a machine taken out of clinical use, with a test lung, an analyser and the gas supplies under your control. The course never asks you to bypass interlocks, oxygen protections, licences or safety measures.
What does the certificate say?
Your name, the course, the hours, the date and your exam score, with a unique number and a public verification page.
Can my company buy seats for a team?
Yes: five seats and a progress overview for the manager.
Languages?
English and Russian.