[Histonet] Embedding W/WO Melted Paraffin

[Nick Kirk]

Dannie

I agree with you entirely.

The argument that the biopsies will "cook" is totally spurious, after all,
they've been sitting in molten paraffin wax on the processing machine for
several hours before reaching the embedding stage so a few more minutes will
have no effect.

Also speaking from personal experience, embedding a "wet" piece of tissue is
much easier than embedding a "warm but dry" piece of tissue.
This is especially useful when you have a small piece of tissue requiring a
particular orientation.

The point you make about small biopsies is also a good one.
You might be able to get away with using the "warm but dry" technique if you
only had a few blocks to embed,
but any lab with a sizeable through put should avoid that method of
embedding in my opinion (for what it's worth).

I think I'm probably correct in saying that here in the UK, the "wet" method
is used in almost every lab in the country, if not all of the labs in the
country.

Nick Kirk
Head Biomedical Scientist
Histopathology
Hinchingbrooke Hospital
Huntingdon
England

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Sent: 21 January 2004 03:37
To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: [Histonet] Embedding W/WO Melted Paraffin


Hi, everyone:
In order to settle a difference of opinion between generations of trained
Histotechs in my lab, may I have feedback from anyone interested in
responding?
Do you cover the blocks in melted paraffin in the embedding centre reservior
and hold them that way while embedding? or....
Do you dump them in the warm reservior "dry" (not covered in melted
paraffin)
and embed them that way?
Do you consider this "dry" method as bad technique since a tiny biopsy
specimen MAY not be noticed as the paraffin quickly solidifies?
We have a dispute.  I have researched every book I can find and there is no
reference to it anywhere.  A newly trained tech that came to work for us
said
no mention was made during her training period.  Some techs did...and some
didn't. As a tech of nearly 27 years, I find this practice to be just asking
for
trouble.  I was trained to keep everything melted.  There seems to be some
argument against keeping the cassettes in the melted paraffin, claiming it
"cooks"
the biopsies.  I don't buy it, but what are the opinions of others?
It seems so basic to me.  I hope this does not come across as frivilous.
Thanks for your input.

Dannie Blake HT(ASCP)  Histology Lead Tech
Fresno Community Medical Centre
Fresno, California

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