Hamilton-T1 Troubleshooting

The oxygen sensor or pressure sensor has detected an internal leakage.

The flow alarm will sound if a leakage is detected.  To decrease the chance of the alarm sounding, check the ‘Insp Flow’ values and set the limit to a value above the average ‘Insp Flow’ reading plus the known minimum leakage.  Leakages are somewhat unpredictable, therefore numeric monitoring parameters cannot properly analyze the level of severity of a leakage and an alarm may sound even if there is no major issue.  These parameters include, ‘ExpMinVol, ‘RCexp’, ‘Rinsp’, ‘Insp Flow’, ‘AutoPEEP’, and ‘Cstat’.  Continuous monitoring by medical personnel is necessary.  If the flow sensor fails it may need to be re-calibrated [5-36].

An oxygen cell always needs to be installed in order to prevent leakage within the ventilator.  If you have an external monitor or disable the oxygen monitoring, you still need the oxygen cell, so check on the backside of the ventilator on the left-hand side to ensure there is one installed.  Only Hamilton Medical oxygen cells should be used in order to keep functionality of the ventilator [2-31].

If the oxygen cell needs replacement, follow our oxygen cell replacement guide.  The oxygen cell may need replacement because it is exhausted or missing.  The oxygen cells should be changed yearly or every 5000 hours.  The oxygen cells may have shorter life spans if used in operations at higher temperatures or higher oxygen concentrations. After replacement, the oxygen cell will need to be calibrated by disconnecting all O2 supplies and calibrated at 21% oxygen concentration [10-20].

The airways are blocked or there is low passage of air through the intake or fan filters. 

Fan and intake filters can become clogged after repetitive usage. To locate, remove and install fan and intake filters, follow our fan maintenance and replacement guide. Filters may either be replaced or cleaned with soap and water and dried before reinstallation [10-15].

Replacing the HEPA filter is part of the Hamilton T1’s yearly maintenance schedule, however, if the HEPA filter becomes clogged for any reason between these intervals it will need to be replaced. To locate and replace the HEPA filter, follow our fan replacement guide [10-16].

The carbon dioxide (CO2) sensors are not detecting the correct or any of their respective gases.

First, make sure a Hamilton CO2 sensor is installed. If it is installed, but there is no signal from the CO2 sensor, check CO2 sensor connections (sensor to module, module to ventilator) [2-20, 2-22].

If the CO2 sensor signal indicates a hardware error or that a third-party sensor is installed.  Disconnect and reconnect the sensor from the CO2 module. Recalibrate the sensor to ensure the sensor is attached to the airway adapter during calibration. Install a new CO2 sensor that is a Hamilton Medical product [2-20, 2-22].

The screen will not react to commands when you touch it.

The touchscreen may need to be cleaned so that touch can be recognized.  Before cleaning, you must lock the screen by pressing the Screen Lock/Unlock key.  A beeping sound and ‘Screen lock active’ message displayed on the screen will confirm that the screen is locked.  Gently wipe the screen with a damp soft cloth using either an antibacterial cleaning agent or the cleaning agent recommended by your hospital.  Do not use any vinegar-based cleaning solutions on the touch screen. Apply the cleaning solution to a clean towel and do not apply directly onto the screen [10-8].

The ventilator is off and unresponsive.  An alarm/loud buzzer goes off unless the ventilator is plugged into power.

In case you are turning the ventilator on improperly, here are the steps to turn it on.  First, press the ventilator power key on the top right-hand side of the screen and the patient setup window will appear [2-51].

The alarm can be silenced by pressing the alarm silence key.  The sound will be muted for two minutes and a countdown will be displayed on the screen.  If the issue has not been resolved, the alarm will go off again.  The red flashing light when the alarm is going off will become continuously lit when the alarm silence is active.  You can disable the alarm silence by pressing the alarm silence key again [9-6].

The Hamilton T1 can get power from either an AC or DC source.  An AC power source should be to an outlet that supplies power between 100 and 240 V AC, 50/60 Hz.  The AC symbol in the bottom right-hand corner of the touchscreen will have a frame around it when properly connected (2-26).  There are three types of DC cables that go with the Hamilton-T1 ventilator; the DC cable, the DC cable kit, and the DC car cable.  The DC cable are used during transport in ambulances, fixed-wing aircrafts, helicopters, and ships that have an appropriate electrical power supply.  The DC cable kit (also known as assembled DC cable) must only be assembled using a UL-listed plug by authorized personnel.  The DC car cable is used during transport in ambulances and other rescue vehicles with appropriate plug connectors.  The DC cables should be paired with an 12-28 V DC electric power supply.  The DC symbol in the bottom right-hand corner of the touchscreen will have a frame around it when properly connected [2-27].

The Hamilton-T1 ventilator has multiple backup systems in place for when a primary power source is not available/connecting properly or when the main battery dies.  On the top right-hand corner under the power key, the battery charge indicator will be lit when the ventilator is being charged and unlit when it is not being charged or a primary power source is missing.  In the bottom right-hand corner to the left of the AC/DC symbol, there are power source symbols that show the available power sources.  The standard battery has the ‘1’ below the battery symbol and the hot-swappable battery (optional, secondary battery) has a ‘2’.  The charge level is indicated by colors; green means fully charged, orange and green means partially charged, and a battery crossed-out in red means the battery is not discharged or defective.  The battery can be recharged by connecting it to the primary source for at least four hours until the battery charge level is 80% to 100% or charged with a Hamilton Medical supplied battery charger.  If a battery is defective, it probably requires replacing (refer to Hamilton-T1 Battery Replacement Guide) [2-29].