diff --git a/platform/core/src/services/HangingProtocolService/HangingProtocolService.ts b/platform/core/src/services/HangingProtocolService/HangingProtocolService.ts
index 37dacef218..e69650bda8 100644
--- a/platform/core/src/services/HangingProtocolService/HangingProtocolService.ts
+++ b/platform/core/src/services/HangingProtocolService/HangingProtocolService.ts
@@ -382,12 +382,30 @@ export default class HangingProtocolService extends PubSubService {
       return;
     }
 
-    const matchedProtocol = this.protocolEngine.run({
+    let matchedProtocol = this.protocolEngine.run({
       studies: this.studies,
       activeStudy,
       displaySets,
     });
-    this._setProtocol(matchedProtocol);
+    let nthBestMatch = 1;
+    const matchedProtocolSize = this.protocolEngine.getMatchedProtocolsSize();
+    let done = false;
+    while (!done && nthBestMatch <= matchedProtocolSize) {
+      try {
+        this._setProtocol(matchedProtocol);
+        done = true;
+      } catch (e) {
+        // something went wrong while setting current matchedProtocol, so we rollback and
+        // try again with next nth best matched protocol
+        nthBestMatch++;
+        matchedProtocol = this.protocolEngine.run({
+          studies: this.studies,
+          activeStudy,
+          displaySets,
+          nthBest: nthBestMatch
+        });
+      }
+    }
   }
 
   /**
@@ -856,26 +874,39 @@ export default class HangingProtocolService extends PubSubService {
     options = null as HangingProtocol.SetProtocolOptions
   ) {
     const stages = this.protocol.stages;
+    let failureCounter = 0;
     for (let i = 0; i < stages.length; i++) {
-      const stage = stages[i];
+      try {
+        const stage = stages[i];
 
-      const { matchedViewports } = this._matchAllViewports(
-        stage,
-        options,
-        new Map()
-      );
-      const activation = stage.stageActivation || {};
-      if (this.matchActivation(matchedViewports, activation.passive, 0)) {
-        if (this.matchActivation(matchedViewports, activation.enabled, 1)) {
-          stage.status = 'enabled';
+        const { matchedViewports } = this._matchAllViewports(
+          stage,
+          options,
+          new Map()
+        ) || {};
+        const activation = stage.stageActivation || {};
+
+        if (this.matchActivation(matchedViewports, activation.passive, 0)) {
+          if (this.matchActivation(matchedViewports, activation.enabled, 1)) {
+            stage.status = 'enabled';
+          } else {
+            stage.status = 'passive';
+          }
         } else {
-          stage.status = 'passive';
+          stage.status = 'disabled';
         }
-      } else {
-        stage.status = 'disabled';
+      } catch (e) {
+        stages[i].status = 'passive';
+        failureCounter++;
+        console.warn(`The hanging protocol viewport is requesting to display the matching displaysets for ${stages[i]} but something went wrong and it could not be matched.`);
       }
     }
 
+    // it means there is no valid stage
+    if (failureCounter === stages.length) {
+      throw new Error();
+    }
+
     this._broadcastEvent(this.EVENTS.STAGE_ACTIVATION, {
       protocol: this.protocol,
       stages: this.protocol.stages,
@@ -1284,6 +1315,14 @@ export default class HangingProtocolService extends PubSubService {
         );
       }
     });
+
+    // there is no displayset found for given protocol
+    if (!displaySetsInfo.length) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `Can't find a displaySet match for any viewport`
+      );
+    }
+
     return {
       viewportOptions,
       displaySetsInfo,
diff --git a/platform/core/src/services/HangingProtocolService/ProtocolEngine.js b/platform/core/src/services/HangingProtocolService/ProtocolEngine.js
index b3c18ab40c..5db9ba3071 100644
--- a/platform/core/src/services/HangingProtocolService/ProtocolEngine.js
+++ b/platform/core/src/services/HangingProtocolService/ProtocolEngine.js
@@ -14,12 +14,13 @@ export default class ProtocolEngine {
    * @param props.studies is a list of studies to compare against (for priors evaluation)
    * @param props.activeStudy is the current metadata for the study to display.
    * @param props.displaySets are the list of display sets which can be modified.
+   * @param props.nthBest is the nth best match from the existing options. In case of undefined it consider the first best.
    */
-  run({ studies, displaySets, activeStudy }) {
+  run({ studies, displaySets, activeStudy, nthBest }) {
     this.studies = studies;
     this.study = activeStudy || studies[0];
     this.displaySets = displaySets;
-    return this.getBestProtocolMatch();
+    return this.getBestProtocolMatch(nthBest);
   }
 
   // /**
@@ -33,20 +34,32 @@ export default class ProtocolEngine {
 
   /**
    * Return the best matched Protocol to the current study or set of studies
+   * @param nthBest is the nth best match from the existing options. In case of undefined it consider the first best.
    * @returns {*}
    */
-  getBestProtocolMatch() {
-    // Run the matching to populate matchedProtocols Set and Map
-    this.updateProtocolMatches();
+  getBestProtocolMatch(nthBest) {
+
+    if(!nthBest) {
+      // Run the matching to populate matchedProtocols Set and Map
+      this.updateProtocolMatches();
+    }
 
     // Retrieve the highest scoring Protocol
-    const bestMatch = this._getHighestScoringProtocol();
+    const bestMatch = this._getHighestScoringProtocol(nthBest);
 
     console.log('ProtocolEngine::getBestProtocolMatch bestMatch', bestMatch);
 
     return bestMatch;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Returns the amount of matched protocols
+   *
+   * @returns number
+   */
+  getMatchedProtocolsSize() {
+    return this.matchedProtocols.size;
+  }
   /**
    * Populates the MatchedProtocols Collection by running the matching procedure
    */
@@ -166,16 +179,25 @@ export default class ProtocolEngine {
     this.matchedProtocolScores = {};
   }
 
-  _largestKeyByValue(obj) {
-    return Object.keys(obj).reduce((a, b) => (obj[a] > obj[b] ? a : b));
+  _largestKeyByValue(obj, nth = 1) {
+    const sortedObj = Object.keys(obj).sort((a, b) => (obj[a] > obj[b]));
+
+    return sortedObj[nth - 1];
   }
 
-  _getHighestScoringProtocol() {
+  /**
+   * Get the protocol with highest score.
+   * If nth is present return the nth best match.
+   * @param nth tells that we need the nth highest scoring protocol. Default if 1 (first).
+   *
+   */
+  _getHighestScoringProtocol(nth) {
     if (!Object.keys(this.matchedProtocolScores).length) {
       return;
     }
     const highestScoringProtocolId = this._largestKeyByValue(
-      this.matchedProtocolScores
+      this.matchedProtocolScores,
+      nth
     );
     return this.matchedProtocols.get(highestScoringProtocolId);
   }