Daily readiness check: is the AC3 Optimus™ ready for the next patient?

1. 1

   Power

   Check

   • The console is plugged into a grounded wall outlet, even when it is not in use.¹
   • The power cord is pushed in until the V-lock engages.²
   • The DC circuit breaker, at the lower right of the helium compartment, is ON.³

   Correct when

   • The power LED is lit, and the battery LED is lit (above 80% charge).²
   • The power icon shows the charging symbol: plugged in and charged, or plugged in and charging.²

   If not

   ON BATTERY while plugged in

   Try another grounded outlet. If AC still isn't shown, call Technical Support and get another pump.²

   Battery inoperative alarm, or the breaker is OFF

   Turn the breaker ON. Battery operation is not available until it is.^3,4 Annual battery load test

   Battery LED off

   Leave it plugged in: 80% charge in about 4 hours, full in about 8. A full battery runs the pump at least 90 minutes.¹

2. 2

   Helium

   Check

   • Read the helium supply on the display.⁵
   • Watch the reading for a few seconds.⁵
   • A spare Arrow® helium tank of the right type is on the cart, with the helium washer (for tanks of 2000 psi or more) or the 500 psi yoke adapter it needs.^6,7

   Correct when

   • At least 100 psi (7 bar).⁵
   • The reading rises, then holds steady, with no rapid drops.⁵

   If not

   100 psi or less

   Replace the tank now, not at the bedside.⁵ Change the helium tank

   Reading drops or varies

   Remove and reseat or replace the tank. If it still varies, call Technical Support.⁵ Change the helium tank

3. 3

   Display, touchscreen and recorder

   Check

   • Press the power switch and let the display come up.²
   • Touch a few keys on the screen.¹
   • Check for a full roll of recorder paper, then run a short strip.⁵

   Correct when

   • Pump OFF (red LED), Mode AutoPilot™, Trigger ECG, Assist Ratio 1:1.²
   • The touchscreen responds where you touch it.¹
   • The strip prints with the correct date and time.⁵

   If not

   Touchscreen doesn't respond

   Hold the Up and Down cursor keys for more than 5 seconds to calibrate. Never calibrate with a patient connected.¹

   Wrong date or time on the strip

   More, then the Clock tab.⁵

   Less than a full roll

   Load a new roll of 50 mm thermal paper.^5,8

4. 4

   Clean and dry since the last patient

   Check

   • Look at the condensate bottle.⁹
   • Confirm the console was cleaned after its last use.¹⁰

   Correct when

   • The condensate bottle is empty and seated.⁹
   • Surfaces are clean; nothing liquid is stored in the top compartments.^1,10

   If not

   Bottle has fluid in it

   Empty it and reseat it.⁹

   Not cleaned

   Power off and unplug, then wipe with 70% isopropyl alcohol, keeping surfaces wet for the stated contact time.¹⁰

5. 5

   Cables on the cart

   Check

   • A 5-lead skin ECG cable with the green Nicolay connector.¹¹
   • An arterial pressure transducer cable for the orange Nicolay input.¹²
   • A slave cable for the bedside monitor's ECG and arterial pressure outputs, if your unit slaves signals.¹³

   Correct when

   • Cables are intact and stored with the console, not borrowed from another bed.¹¹

   If not

   Only a 3-lead ECG cable

   Replace it. 3-lead and phone-to-Nicolay slave cables will not work properly.¹¹

6. 6

   Standby supplies

   Check

   • Balloons in the sizes your unit uses (30, 40, 50 cc), in date.^14,15
   • A spare IAB volume connector and driveline tubing in each size (color) you stock.¹⁶
   • Two rubber-shod hemostats for the leak test.¹⁶
   • A 60 cc slip-tip syringe (aspirating a partly inflated balloon) and a 50–60 cc syringe (hand-cycling a stopped balloon).^17,18
   • A backup IABP, also plugged in.^1,6

   Correct when

   • Everything a start-up or a pump failure needs is on or beside the cart.⁶

   If not

   Anything missing or expired

   Restock before the shift ends. A missing hemostat or syringe turns a fixable alarm into a pump stop.⁶ Helium leak test

7. 7

   Records

   Check

   • Find the date of the last weekly Operational Checkout.^19,20
   • Check that biomedical engineering's annual tests are current: battery test, electrical safety, functional test.²⁰
   • The 24-hour IAB hotline number is posted on the console: +1 800 447 4227 (worldwide +1 978 250 5177).²¹

   Correct when

   • The last Operational Checkout was within 7 days.^19,22

   If not

   Checkout overdue

   Do the Operational Checkout (it uses a balloon-in-tube simulator) or call biomedical engineering before the pump goes to a patient.^2,19

8. ✓

   Ready for the next patient

   Every box ticked, or the gap reported and fixed before the shift ends.

References

1. Arrow International Inc. AC3™ Series IABP System Service Manual. Part No. IAM-9011, Rev 00. Reading, PA: Arrow International Inc (Teleflex); 2015. p 251.
2. Arrow International Inc. AC3™ Series IABP System Service Manual. Part No. IAM-9011, Rev 00. Reading, PA: Arrow International Inc (Teleflex); 2015. p 250.
3. Arrow International Inc. AC3™ Series IABP System Service Manual. Part No. IAM-9011, Rev 00. Reading, PA: Arrow International Inc (Teleflex); 2015. p 242.
4. Arrow International Inc. AC3™ Series IABP System Service Manual. Part No. IAM-9011, Rev 00. Reading, PA: Arrow International Inc (Teleflex); 2015. p 253.
5. Arrow International Inc. AC3™ Series IABP System Service Manual. Part No. IAM-9011, Rev 00. Reading, PA: Arrow International Inc (Teleflex); 2015. p 252.
6. Arrow International Inc. AC3™ Series IABP System Service Manual. Part No. IAM-9011, Rev 00. Reading, PA: Arrow International Inc (Teleflex); 2015. p 108.
7. Arrow International Inc. AC3™ Series IABP System Service Manual. Part No. IAM-9011, Rev 00. Reading, PA: Arrow International Inc (Teleflex); 2015. pp 258-262.
8. Arrow International Inc. AC3™ Series IABP System Service Manual. Part No. IAM-9011, Rev 00. Reading, PA: Arrow International Inc (Teleflex); 2015. p 256.
9. Arrow International Inc. AC3™ Series IABP System Service Manual. Part No. IAM-9011, Rev 00. Reading, PA: Arrow International Inc (Teleflex); 2015. p 248.
10. Arrow International Inc. AC3™ Series IABP System Service Manual. Part No. IAM-9011, Rev 00. Reading, PA: Arrow International Inc (Teleflex); 2015. p 246.
11. Arrow International Inc. AC3™ Series IABP System Service Manual. Part No. IAM-9011, Rev 00. Reading, PA: Arrow International Inc (Teleflex); 2015. p 15.
12. Arrow International Inc. AC3™ Series IABP System Service Manual. Part No. IAM-9011, Rev 00. Reading, PA: Arrow International Inc (Teleflex); 2015. pp 15-16.
13. Arrow International Inc. AC3™ Series IABP System Service Manual. Part No. IAM-9011, Rev 00. Reading, PA: Arrow International Inc (Teleflex); 2015. p 116.
14. Teleflex Inc. Intra-Aortic Balloon Catheters: Proactively Meeting Your Counterpulsation Needs [brochure]. MC-000164 Rev 5. Wayne, PA: Teleflex Inc; March 2025.
15. Arrow FiberOptix IAB shelf-stock box labels, REF IAB-05840-LWS-SC (40 cc) and IAB-05850-LWS-SC (50 cc), lots 2025 [photograph]. Course author's photograph; October 2026.
16. Arrow International Inc. AC3™ Series IABP System Service Manual. Part No. IAM-9011, Rev 00. Reading, PA: Arrow International Inc (Teleflex); 2015. pp 215-221.
17. Arrow International Inc. AC3™ Series IABP System Service Manual. Part No. IAM-9011, Rev 00. Reading, PA: Arrow International Inc (Teleflex); 2015. p 192.
18. Arrow International Inc. AC3™ Series IABP System Service Manual. Part No. IAM-9011, Rev 00. Reading, PA: Arrow International Inc (Teleflex); 2015. p 112.
19. Arrow International Inc. AC3™ Series IABP System Service Manual. Part No. IAM-9011, Rev 00. Reading, PA: Arrow International Inc (Teleflex); 2015. p 249.
20. Arrow International Inc. AC3™ Series IABP System Service Manual. Part No. IAM-9011, Rev 00. Reading, PA: Arrow International Inc (Teleflex); 2015. p 245.
21. Teleflex Inc. Arrow Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump Series: Timing Guidelines [trifold]. MC-004848 Rev 1. Wayne, PA: Teleflex Inc; December 2019. p 1.
22. Arrow International Inc. AC3™ Series IABP System Service Manual. Part No. IAM-9011, Rev 00. Reading, PA: Arrow International Inc (Teleflex); 2015. p 100.
23. Arrow International Inc. AC3™ Series IABP System Service Manual. Part No. IAM-9011, Rev 00. Reading, PA: Arrow International Inc (Teleflex); 2015. pp 245-256.

Learn IABP · Not a substitute for the Operator's Manual, the IAB catheter Instructions for Use, or institutional training.