[Histonet] DECONTAMINATING CRYOSTATS

[lpwenk <@t> sbcglobal.net]

How about not allowing frozen sections on lung for the diagnosis of
infectious diseases? TB, Pneumocystis, etc.

Do a touch prep for the fresh tissue, and stain the slide that way. Make
several slides, so can do H&E, Giemsa, GMS, Kinyoun, PASH, whatever is
needed. Fix and process the tissue used for the touch prep, for diagnosis on
a permanent section the next day.

Most of the time, the touch prep will reveal the micro-organisms. Once in a
great while, there is a false negative, which is picked up the next day on
the fixed processed block.

If it is explained to the surgeons that doing frozen sections on infectious
lung tissue puts the cryostat out of commission for the rest of the day, and
that no other surgeries, including all tumor cases, will have any FS done
for the rest of that day, they are usually willing to accept the results of
the touch preps.

Occasionally, an infectious lung will still slip through, but usually
because they thought the x-ray showed a tumor not an infection, or there is
infection with the tumor.

But there is no need to do a FS on an infectious case. Like you said, it
decommissions the cryostat, to say nothing of the potential biohazardous
risk the person doing the sectioning is in, if they accidentally cut
themselves.

You will need the support/backing of the pathologists. But they should
support you, knowing that the cryostat won't be available for the rest of
the day. (Even if they aren't worried about the risk to the sectioner.)

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

----- Original Message -----
From: "Winters, Bert" <BWinters <@t> NCH.ORG>
To: <histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2004 11:52 AM
Subject: [Histonet] DECONTAMINATING CRYOSTATS



Lately we have done several frozen sections on lung cases that have turned
out to be possible T.B. cases. We then have to shut down our cryostats,
defrost them and decontaminate them Does anyone know of any decontamination
procedures that does  not require the total defrosting of the cryostat.

                      Bert Winters, Northwest community hospital
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