bioMerieux VITEK 2 User manual

VITEK®2 User’s Manual
510731-4
bioMérieux, Inc.
Box 15969
Durham, North Carolina 27704-0969 USA
tel. [phone]
bioMérieux sa
69280 Marcy l’Etoile • France
tel. [phone] / fax [phone]
http://www.biomerieux.com

Argentina
bioMérieux Argentina SA
Av. Congreso 1745
(C1428BUE) Capital Federal
Buenos Aires
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
Australia
bioMérieux Australia Pty.Ltd.
Unit 25, Parkview Business Centre
1 Maitland Place
Baulkham Hills NSW 2153
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
Austria
bioMérieux Austria GmbH
Eduard-Kittenberger-Gasse 97
A-1230 Wien
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
Belgium
bioMérieux Benelux s.a./n.v.
rue Victor Hugostraat, 215 - 1030 Brux-
elles / Brussel
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
Brazil
biolab Mérieux S/A
Estrada Mapuá
491 Jacarepaguá
CEP 22710 261 Rio de Janeiro R.J
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
Canada
bioMérieux Canada, Inc.
4535, Dobrin
St Laurent - Québec H4R 2L8
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
Chile
bioMérieux Chile SA
Seminario 131
Providencia, Santiago 6841416
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
China
bioMérieux China Limited
Unit 1701-2, 17/F, Nanyang Plaza
No. 57 Hung To Road, Kwun Tong
Kowloon - Hong Kong
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
Colombia
bioMérieux Colombia LTDA
Diagonal 109 # 20A-33
Bogotá
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
Denmark
bioMérieux Danmark Aps
Literbuen 9, Postboks 48
2740 Skovlunde, Denmark
Tel; [phone]
Fax; [phone]
Finland
bioMérieux Suomi Oy
Rajatorpantie 41 C
01640 Vantaa
Tel; [phone]
Fax; [phone]
France
bioMérieux sa
69280 Marcy l’Etoile
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
http://www.biomerieux.com
Germany
bioMérieux Deutschland GmbH
Weberstrasse 8 - D 72622 Nürtingen
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
Greece
bioMérieux Gerolymatos s.a.
35 Mihalakopoulou Street,
11528 Athens
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
India
bioMérieux India Pvt. Ltd
A-10 Green Park
New Delhi 110016
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
Italy
bioMérieux Italia S.p.A.
Via Fiume Bianco, 56
00144 Roma
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
Japan
bioMérieux Japan, Ltd
Seizan Bldg.,
12-28 Kita-Aoyama 2-chome
Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0061
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
Korea
bioMérieux Korea Co., Ltd.
7th floor Yoo SUNG Building
# 830-67, Yeoksam-dong,
Kangnam-ku - Seoul
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
Mexico
bioMérieux México S.A. de C.V.
Chihuahua 88, Col. Progreso
México 01080, D.F.
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
The Netherlands
bioMérieux Benelux BV
PO box 23
5280 AA - Boxtel
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
New Zealand
bioMérieux New Zealand
22/10 Airbourne Road
North Harbour, Auckland
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
Norway
bioMérieux Norge AS
∅kernveien 145, N - 0580 Oslo
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
Poland
bioMérieux Polska Sp. z o.o.
ul. Zeromskiego 17
01-882 Warszawa
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
Portugal
bioMérieux Portugal Lda
Rua do Alto do Montijo, Lotes 1 e 2
2795 Carnaxide
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
Russia
o.o.o. bioMérieux
Petrovsko-Razoumovskii proyezd, 29
Stroyeniye 2 - 127287 Moscow
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
Sweden
bioMérieux Sverige AB
Hantverksvãgen 15 - 436 33 Askim
Tel; [phone]
Fax; [phone]
Spain
bioMérieux España s.a.
Manual Tovar, 36 - 28034 Madrid
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
Switzerland
bioMérieux Suisse s.a.
51, avenue Blanc - 1202 Genève
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
Thailand
bioMérieux Thailand Limited 193/52
Lake Rajada Office Complex
Unit 14-A-, Rachadaphisek Road
Klongtoey, Khet Klongtoey
Bangkok Metropolis, 10110
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
Turkey
bioMérieux Diagnostik Malz. ve Hiz. A.S.
19 Mayis Mahallesi
Esin Sok. Hu-Ba Apt. N) : 9/6
81090 Kozyatagi - Istanbul
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
United Kingdom
bioMérieux UK Limited
Grafton way, Basingstoke
Hampshire RG22 6HY
tel. [phone]
fax [phone]
USA
bioMérieux, Inc.
Box 15969
Durham, North Carolina 27704-0969
tel. [phone]

This publication is based on software version VT2-R03.01
Updates are made periodically to this document. Software revisions
and other changes will be included in subsequent versions.
©Copyright 2002 by bioMérieux, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of
this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored
in a retrieval system, or translated into any human or computer lan-
guage, in any form or by any means whatsoever without the express
written permission of bioMérieux, Inc.

WARRANTY
Seller, bioMérieux, Inc., warrants the VITEK ® 2 instrument (the "instrument") to the
original purchaser for a period of one (1) year after date of installation against defects in
material and workmanship and defects arising from failure to conform to specifications
applicable on the date of installation. Seller further agrees to correct, either by repair,
or, at its election, by replacement, any such defect found on examination to have oc-
curred, under normal use and service, during such one (1) year period, provided Seller
is promptly notified in writing upon discovery of such defect.
Seller shall not be liable under this Warranty for any defect arising from abuse of the
system, failure to operate and maintain the system in accordance with the documentation
included with the Instrument, including repair service, alteration or modification of the
system by any person other than service personnel of bioMérieux, Inc., or Seller; or use
of modified, changed, or previously used disposables.
THE WARRANTY OF SELLER SET FORTH ABOVE AND THE OBLIGATIONS
AND LIABILITIES OF SELLER THEREUNDER ARE EXCLUSIVE AND IN LIEU
OF ALL OTHER REMEDIES OR WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, ARIS-
ING BY LAW OR OTHERWISE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SYSTEM DELIVERED
HEREUNDER (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY OBLIGATION OF
SELLER WITH RESPECT TO MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR PARTICU-
LAR PURPOSE, AND CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, AND WHETHER OR NOT
OCCASIONED BY SELLER’S NEGLIGENCE).
This Warranty shall not be extended or altered except by written instrument signed by
Seller.
All of the product elements in the Seller’s Instrument and the total instrument are war-
rented to be new or equivalent to new for the full product warranty period of one year.
Disposables and replacement items with a normal life expectancy of less than one (1)
year, such as batteries and bulbs, are excluded from this warranty.

The VITEK 2 User’s Manual vii
Table of Contents
List of Figures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
General Warnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
Laser Caution Statement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xviii
Caution Statement: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xviii
Warning Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix
CAUTION Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix
Danger Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxii
Standard Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxvii
1. How To Use This Manual
Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Printed vs. Online Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
How to Find Topics and Procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Typographic Conventions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
2. The Smart Carrier Station
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Where to Find It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
What is the Smart Carrier Station? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
The SCS Base Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
The SCS Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
The SCS Bar Code Scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
The SCS Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Starting the Smart Carrier Station. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7

Table of Contents
viii The VITEK 2 User’s Manual
3. Configuring the Smart Carrier Station
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Where To Find It. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Configuration Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
When Should Configuration Options be Set?. . . . . . . . . 3-3
How do You Access the Configuration Screens?. . . . . . 3-4
Why and How to Set the Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
AST Dilution Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Station Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Key Click . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Language. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Time and Date. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Firmware Update Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Cassette Erase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
4. The VITEK 2 Instrument
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Where to Find It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
External Components of the VITEK 2 Instrument. . . . . . . . 4-3
Controls and Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Access Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Turning on the VITEK 2 Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8
Start-up Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8
What Happens Inside VITEK 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9
Test Card Processing Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9
The Smart Carrier Station (SCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10
The Cassettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10
Cassette Load and Unload Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
The Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15
VITEK 2 Bar Code Reader. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16
The Button Memory Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-17
VITEK 2 Dispenser/Pipettor Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18
The Filler Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-22
The Sealer Station. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-23
Test Card Incubation and Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-23
Card Ejection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-26
The Waste Collection Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-28
The User Interface System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-29
Keypad and Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-30

Table of Contents
The VITEK 2 User’s Manual ix
5. Configuring the VITEK 2 Instrument
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Where to Find It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Configuration Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
What are the Configuration Options?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
When Should Configuration Options be Set?. . . . . . . . . 5-4
How Configuration Options Affect VITEK 2 . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Cassette Names. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Instrument Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Schedule Instrument QC Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Cassette Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Dilution Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Bar Code Reader. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Audible Alarm Enable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Audible Alarm Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Visual Alarm Enable. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Keyclick Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Screen Contrast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
How to Set VITEK 2 Configuration Options . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Where to Find the Configuration Options . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
How to Define Character Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
How to Set Time for the QC Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
How to Use Option Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
How to Set a Range Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25

Table of Contents
x The VITEK 2 User’s Manual
6. Processing VITEK 2 Test Cards
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Where to Find It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
About the VITEK 2 Status Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
About the VITEK 2 Menu System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10
About the Smart Carrier Station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-13
Advantages of Using the Smart Carrier Station . . . . . . 6-13
Data Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-16
Using the Slot Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-19
SCS Functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-19
Option Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-22
About the Bar Code Scanner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-24
Processing Test Cards Using the Smart Carrier Station . . . 6-25
Configuration Options to Consider. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-25
The Work Flow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-26
How to Enter Data With the SCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-28
Loading a Cassette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-31
Processing Test Cards in Cassette Only Mode . . . . . . . . . . 6-36
Configuration Options to Consider. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-36
The Work Flow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-37
Cassette Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-39
Loading a Cassette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-44
How to Enter Data for a Cassette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-48
Batch Loads (Smart Carrier or Cassette Only Mode). . . . . 6-50
How to Select Batch Loading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-50
To Begin a Batch Load. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-51
Unloading the Cassette and Removing Waste . . . . . . . . . . 6-54
How to Unload a Cassette. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-55
How to Remove Ejected Test Cards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-57

Table of Contents
The VITEK 2 User’s Manual xi
7. Maintaining the VITEK 2 Instrument
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Where to Find It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Maintaining the VITEK 2 Disposables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Monitoring the Disposables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
The Dispenser/Pipettor Accessory Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
How to Install an Accessory Kit, Part A: Saline
and Tubing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
How to Install an Accessory Kit, Part B: Pipette Tips . 7-14
Cleaning the Carousel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
How to Remove the Carousel for Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
How to Clean the Carousel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-28
How to Replace the Carousel After Cleaning. . . . . . . . . . . 7-29
Cleaning the Cassettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-34
How to Clean the Cassettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-34
Cleaning the Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39
How to Remove Boats for Cleaning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39
How to Clean the Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-42
How to Replace Boats after Cleaning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-42
Cleaning the Inside of the VITEK 2 Instrument. . . . . . . . . 7-46
Shutting Down the VITEK 2 Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . 7-46
Cleaning the Test Card Collection Tray . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-49
Cleaning the Optics (Normal Maintenance). . . . . . . . . 7-50
Cleaning the Base Pan, Vacuum Seal and
Vacuum Chamber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-53
Cleaning the Drip Pan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-56
Removing the Drip Pan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-57
How to Clean the Drip Pan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-58
Replacing the Drip Pan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-58
Turning the Instrument On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-59
Cleaning the Smart Carrier Station. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-60
How to Clean the Smart Carrier Station (SCS) . . . . . . 7-60
VITEK 2 Maintenance Log
VITEK 2 XL Maintenance Log

Table of Contents
xii The VITEK 2 User’s Manual
8. Troubleshooting the VITEK 2 Instrument
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Error Messages and Recovery Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Where to Find It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
The Error Handling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
The Error Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Types of Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
The Status Screen in an Error Condition . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7
Reviewing an Instrument Halted Screen . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12
Reviewing a Status Screen with Messages. . . . . . . . . . 8-13
Reviewing a Status Screen with Errors. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-14
Cassette Load Processing Errors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-15
Why Do They Occur?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-16
Work Flow Considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-17
Bar Code Read Failure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-17
SCS and Bar Code Reader Conflict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-21
Inoculum Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-24
Card Capacity Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-26
Disposables Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-29
Working Without the VITEK 2 Bar Code Reader . . . . . . . 8-30
How to Enter Bar Codes Manually. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-31
Instrument Diagnostics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-33
Instrument Diagnostics Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-33
Diagnostic Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-34
Cleaning and Verifying the Optics with Cards Processing. 8-43
Optical Diagnostic Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-48
Boat Transport Positions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-50
Power Failures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-52
Displaying Version Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-54
How to Use Error Message and Recovery Table . . . . . . . . 8-55
How to restart the instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-56
Error Message and Recovery Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-57
Appendix: Hardware Specifications
Glossary
Index

List of Figures
The VITEK 2 User’s Manual xiii
List of Figures
FIGURE PAGE
2-1 Initial SCS Screen ......................................................................... 2-8
5-1 The Instrument QC Status Screen ................................................. 5-9
6-1 The VITEK 2 Status Screen in Cassette Only Mode .................... 6-4
6-2 Pipette Tips Status ........................................................................ 6-9
6-3 VITEK 2 Main Menu .................................................................. 6-10
6-4 Detailed Structure of the VITEK 2 Menu System ...................... 6-11
6-5 The Previous Screen Key ............................................................ 6-12
6-6 Fields of the Data Entry Screen .................................................. 6-16
6-7 The Cassette Address .................................................................. 6-35
6-8 The Cassette Worksheet .............................................................. 6-40
6-9 Cassette Setup Screen ................................................................. 6-42
6-10 The Cassette Address .................................................................. 6-49
6-11 The Waste Collection Station ..................................................... 6-57
7-1 The VITEK 2 Status Screen .......................................................... 7-3
7-2 VITEK 2 XL Carousel Cleaning Screen ..................................... 7-22
7-3 Removing a Carousel Section ..................................................... 7-25
7-4 Removing the Button Memory Module ...................................... 7-36
7-5 Replacing the Button Memory Module ...................................... 7-38
8-1 The VITEK 2 Error Handling System .......................................... 8-3
8-2 Instrument Halted Status Screen ................................................... 8-8
8-3 The VITEK 2 Status Screen .......................................................... 8-9
8-4 Bar Code Error Message ............................................................. 8-18
8-5 Screen for Resolving Bar Code Errors ....................................... 8-19
8-6 Card Type Error Message ........................................................... 8-22
8-7 Inoculum Source Error Message ................................................. 8-25
8-8 Card Capacity Warning Message ............................................... 8-27
8-9 Boat Transport Positions ............................................................. 8-50

The VITEK 2 User’s Manual xv
General Warnings
IMPORTANT: The user is advised to read and understand
all instructions in this manual to be able to
derive the best performance from VITEK 2.
IMPORTANT: The configuration that you have purchased is
adapted to the legislation and standards of
the different countries it will be sent to. For
this reason, it may differ from the one pre-
sented in this document. However, this will
have no effect on the performance of your
VITEK 2. For further information on periph-
erals (computer, printer, monitor, etc.) please
refer to the relevant manufacturers’ instruc-
tion manuals.
IMPORTANT: If the system does not respond properly to
keyboard inputs after an inadvertent electro-
static discharge or electrical fast transient,
simply recycle power using the power switch
and resume normal operations.

General Warnings
xvi The VITEK 2 User’s Manual
CAUTION: This product carries the CE label to comply
with the limits pursuant to European direc-
tives.
The equipment has been tested and found to
comply with the limits pursuant to the rules
and standards indicated in the certificate sent
with the product. These limits are designed
to provide reasonable protection against
harmful interference when the equipment is
operated in a residential, commercial, or
“light industrial” environment.
The equipment generates, uses, and can radi-
ate radio frequency energy and if not
installed in accordance with the instruction
manual, may cause harmful interference to
radio communications. We recommend that
you observe the different warnings inscribed
on the instrument itself and indicated in the
documentation supplied. Changes to the
equipment not expressly approved by
bioMérieux SA could void the user’s author-
ity to operate the equipment.
The user will be required to repair damage at
their own expense.
CAUTION: bioMérieux SA is in no case liable for any
damage that may arise from failure to com-
ply with technical specifications in this man-
ual, from the handling of organism
suspensions by unqualified personnel, or
from any operation conducted on the equip-
ment not in compliance with these manda-
tory standards.

General Warnings
The VITEK 2 User’s Manual xvii
DANGER: This instrument may be involved with haz-
ardous organism suspensions. This user
manual does not purport to address all of the
safety problems associated with its use. It is
the responsibility of whoever uses this
instrument to establish and follow appropri-
ate safety and health practices and to deter-
mine the applicability of regulatory
limitations prior to use.
DANGER: All organism suspensions should be consid-
ered as potentially infectious. Qualified labo-
ratory personnel should use acceptable
procedures for biohazardous material

Laser Caution Statement
xviii The VITEK 2 User’s Manual
Laser Caution Statement
The label below is found:
VITEK 2  on the front access door
 on the inside panel behind the front access door
 behind the waste collection door
VITEK 2 XL  on the left front access door
 above the center front sliding door
 behind the right side waste collection door
Caution Statement:
Caution-use of controls or adjustments or performance of pro-
cedures other than those specified herein may result in hazard-
ous radiation exposure.
All access doors and covers must remain closed when process-
ing cards to avoid exposure to laser light.
Pages 4-6, 4-17, 8-41, and 8-49
CAUTION
Laser light when open.
DO NOT STARE INTO BEAM.
oo 530520-1

The VITEK 2 User’s Manual xix
Warning Messages
The following warnings are used throughout the manual for
safety reasons:
• CAUTION. Used when a particular action may affect the
outcome of a test.
• DANGER. Used when a particular action may result in per-
sonal injury, damage to the instrument, or create a biohaz-
ard.
CAUTION Statements
All access doors should remain closed when processing cards.
Page 4-6
The VITEK 2 test card transport system stops while the cassette
load door is open. Be sure to close the door after loading or
unloading a cassette.
Page 4-14
Do not move or remove a boat from the instrument unless you
are using the programmed function for this purpose. Doing so
can cause an instrument jam. (See the procedure for removing
boats on page 7-39.)
Page 4-14
When handling VITEK 2 test cards, make sure you do not
deface the bar code in any way.
Page 4-16
The Button Memory chip must be removed from the cassette
before cleaning the cassette.
Page 4-17

Warning Messages
xx The VITEK 2 User’s Manual
Ejected test cards must not be reinserted into VITEK 2. Make
sure that all test card processing has been completed before
ejecting a test card.
Page 4-27
Do not disable both the audible and visual alarms on the instru-
ment unless it is located very near to the workstation. Doing so
makes it more difficult to know that an error condition exists.
Page 5-15
The disposable monitors should be used as an approximate indi-
cator. Care should be used to prevent running out of either dis-
posable during test card processing.
Page 6-9
To avoid possible processing errors, make sure that all the test
cards and test tubes are properly seated in the cassette.
Page 6-34
Leaving the door to the Cassette Unload station open will inter-
fere with the proper processing of the test cards in the VITEK 2
instrument.
Page 6-56
Use aseptic technique when installing an accessory kit.
Page 7-6 and 7-14
To prevent possible contamination of the saline, use aseptic
technique when handling the saline dispenser tube.
Page 7-9
To avoid contaminating new pipette tips, do not touch the inside
of the pipette container.
Page 7-16