[Histonet] RE: Decontamination of a Cryostat

[Carol Bryant]

What about instruments that have a built-in defrost and disinfect process with formalin?  Is that sufficient to meet CAP's requirements?  We do it weekly at our lab. 

-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Morken, Tim
Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 11:46 AM
To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: [Histonet] RE: Decontamination of a Cryostat

Cryostat decontamination references:


Decontamination for HIV
Frozen Section Technique for Tissues Infected by the AIDS Virus, Swisher, B.L., Ewing, E.P., J Histotechnol, V9, No.1, p.29 (March 1986)
Recommends 95% ETOH (other publications referenced here indicate 95% alcohol is effective against HIV).


College of American Pathologists, Commentary on accreditation questionaire:
1)	Decontaminate regularly with 70% alcohol.
2)	Defrost, remove trimmings and decontaminate with a tuberculocidal disinfectant, preferably weekly for instruments used daily
3)	Reference: National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS), Protection of Laboratory Workers from Instrument Biohazards and Infectious Disease Transmitted by Blood, body Fluids, and Tissue; Approved Guideline M29-A. Wayne, PA, NCCLS, 1997
http://www.cap.org/HTML/checklist_html/cklst08p.html

NCCLS site: http://www.nccls.org/



Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland, Safe Working and the Prevention of Infection in Clinical Laboratories, Health Services Advisory Committee. 
Recommends formalin fuming for 24-48 hours at room temperature. Followed by ammonia for one hour (presumably as a neutralizer).

Laboratory Histopathology: A Complete Reference, Woods and Ellis, Churchill Livingstone, 1994.
Recommends defrosting , washing with 70% alcohol, complete cleaning. (no references given).

For those who like to read a lot:
APIC Guideline for Selection and Use of Disinfectants, Association for Professionals in Infection Control (APIC), American Journal of Infection Control, Vol 24(4), August 1996, 313-342. A good review of all disinfectants in use and the pros and cons of each.
Tim Morken
Supervisor, Histology / IPOX
UCSF Medical Center
San Francisco, CA  
 

-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Sharon.Davis-Devine
Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 8:16 AM
To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: [Histonet] Decontamination of a Cryostat

This issue seems to be rearing its ugly head in our lab once again.
What is the correct procedure for decontaminating a cryostat after let's
say a specimen from an HIV patient for a frozen was cut on it?  We have
a couple of different cryostats, one of them defrosts quickly and the
other one ices over and defrosts very slowly.  Our PA's assist with 98%
of the frozens and will use either one of the cryostats.  Our
pathologists, who perform frozens by themselves on a rare occasion,
prefer the cryostat that defrosts very slowly.  Of course the cryostat
that was contaminated was down awaiting decontamination when a
pathologist had to perform a frozen.  We are now being told that we need
to replace the cryostat that the pathologist doesn't like to use. So
have any of you had any issues like this and if you have how did you
handle it?  Are there any decontamination procedures available for a
quick turnaround?  Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

 

Sharon Davis-Devine, CT (ASCP)

Cytology-Histology  Supervisor

Carle Foundation Hospital

Laboratory and Pathology Services

611 West Park Street

Urbana, Illinois 61801

217-383-3572

sharon.davis-devine <@t> carle.com

 

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