Hologic Fluoroscan (Aka mini C-arm system) is an advanced orthopedic and surgical imaging machine that helps doctors provide real-time imaging with its high-resolution X-ray. The more helpful it is in medical surgery, the more care it demands.
Many medical professionals face unexpected system failures due to improper maintenance and sometimes don't even know which parts require regular cleaning or calibration, resulting in blurry or inconsistent images. In this article, we will discuss some basic and advanced tips on how you can perform basic maintenance on Hologic Fluoroscan on your own without needing a technician.
Why Maintenance is Important
There is no doubt that maintenance plays a crucial role in prolonging the lifespan of any electronic machine. The maintenance ensures that the Hologic Fluoroscan during any surgical operation or X-ray prevents unexpected breakdowns and provides optimal performance, longevity, and reliability. And If you neglect its maintenance, it will gradually degrade your imaging quality and lead to costly repairs.
How to Start the Mini C-arm system safely?
Always start with the green power button next to the DVD drive. You can rotate the C-arm 120 degrees in orbital rotation, there is a lock to set the desired angle. After setting the angle, get back to the screen.
Once you get to the screen, hit the add admin button, it will take a couple of seconds to load the application. When the application is ready, enter the patient data like first name, patient ID, etc. Moreover, on this machine, you can also rotate the flank detector at 180 degrees, and the nice thing about it is that you can rotate this while you are x-raying.
Maintenance Tasks to Keep Your Fluoroscan Running
There is no specific time for maintenance, but we have categorized it on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis, so you can make a routine according to the schedule.
Daily
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Starting and shutting down Fluoroscan needs some patience, like on start, give it some time for proper warm-up, then start the x-ray. Otherwise, it can produce blurry images. Similarly, while shutting down the machine, let it off properly to avoid any software or hardware risk.
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Assign a task to any clinic person to regularly monitor visual inspection such as cables, connections, and screen, or do it yourself before starting your day.
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Cleaning is also a crucial aspect daily, but it is not like home cleaning, you need a specific soft microfibre cloth to clean the screen and flank detector.
Weekly
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Make your weekly habit to check and calibrate the system to keep the Fluoroscan accurate. This will prevent your machine from setting errors.
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Similarly, check the system logs for any warning signs or errors. Fixing these logs on time can save you from costly repairs and system downtime.
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Another key task you should perform every week is to scan the machine physically. Carefully, examine each part of the machine, check loose cables, or any hardware damage.
Monthly
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Unlike the normal daily cleaning, take time to clean Fluoroscan thoroughly once a month. From fans to vents, clean every part that is harder to reach. This will not only be for cleaning purposes but for a long lifespan.
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After thorough cleaning, now run a complete diagnostic on the machine to check everything is working fine. Check the image quality and cable connectivity.
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On the monthly check-ups, you will see parts of the machine that have a low lifespan and need to be replaced. For example, if any cable is getting old, replace it with a new one to avoid big damage soon.
Advance Tips and Tricks
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It is recommended to plug the Fluoroscan into a stable, surge-protected power source to prevent voltage fluctuations that could damage sensitive electronics.
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Don't sleep on updates, regularly check for software updates to enhance system efficiency, fix bugs, and improve imaging capabilities.
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Besides manual check-ups, allow a professional person to have a look, a professional service check can help identify hidden issues that you might have missed during your own inspection.
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For better image quality, optimize software settings like adjusting image resolution, contrast, and brightness settings based on usage needs to enhance image quality.
Troubleshooting and Preventative Tips for Common Issues
Grainy images
If the image taken looks grainy, then there are chances that the noise suppression may be too low. Try increasing the noise suppression and take a new image. If the issue continues, keep playing with suppression until you find a clear image.
Blurry Images
Sometimes, during movements, the image taken becomes blurry which creates problems in getting desired results. It happens due to high noise suppression, keep it low and then again take a photo.
Image is too dark or light
If the image is too dark, increase the kilovolts and then try a new one. Similarly, for too-light images decrease the kilovolts.
Collimator Error
Sometimes the collimator is left in between the limited view and full-field view options, and an error message will show up on the screen. Simply, move the collimator fully to one side to fix the error.
Conclusion
Having Hologic Fluoroscan at the clinic is a cool option for orthopedic surgeries and X-rays. Still, many orthopods don't pay attention to its maintenance which leads to machine failure or blurry images. In this article, we have discussed tips and tricks on how you can do basic maintenance without seeking help from a professional.
These practices can be followed on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. From cleaning screens and checking cable connections to software updates, if you follow these tips, this will help you get high-quality imaging along with the prolonged lifespan of Fluoroscan. Moreover, if the imaging quality matches your desired result, make sure to check the noise suppression.
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