[Histonet] mercury free fixatives

[Lee & Peggy Wenk]

We recently tested several, all at different time intervals, from 1 to 24
hours.

In general, we found that zinc formalin take about 1.5 times as long to fix
as B5 (e.g., if you were fixing bone marrows for 2 hours, the zinc formalin
needed 3 hours; if lymph nodes required 4 hours in B5, it now needed 6 hours
in zinc formalin).

We also found that different tissues required different formulations of zinc
formalin. We liked one formulation for bone marrow biopsies, and a different
one for solid tissues. I think the difference was because the bone marrow
biopsy had to be decalcified, and one of the formulations held up better
against the acid decalcification.

So you need to test out several companies brands, all at different time
intervals, to find out what works best for your tissue and your processing.

Peggy A. Wenk, HTL(ASCP)SLS
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, MI 48073


----- Original Message -----
From: "White, Lori" <lwhite <@t> lakeridgehealth.on.ca>
To: <histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2004 12:22 PM
Subject: [Histonet] mercury free fixatives


> I am trying to find a replacement for B5 fixative for lymph nodes and bone
> marrow.  I am currently testing B-Plus fixative but am not completely
happy
> with the results so far.  Has anybody had good results with B-Plus or
> another mercury free alternative?  Any feedback would be greatly
> appreciated.
>
> Lori White, B.Sc., MLT
> Charge Technologist, Histopathology
> Lakeridge Health Corporation
> Tel   905 576-8711 ext. 4358
> Fax  905 905 721-4757
>
>
>
>
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