[Histonet] RE: Tissue Tek VIP 5 cleaning cycle

[Grantham, Andrea L - (algranth)]

The cleaning cycle is not dependent on the number of blocks you process. Even if you process one block the processor has sucked up all the reagents and the paraffin into the retorty and has to go thru a clean cycle to clean out the lines and the valves to prevent them from getting a paraffin clog. The VIP has a built in minimum amount of times that the xylene and the alcohol (and water if you use it after the alcohol) have to get sucked up into the retort and spit out through the lines and valves. This is to make sure any paraffin residue is dissolved. This is also the reason the VIP alerts you after every five clean cycles so that you can change the solutions because they may be saturated with paraffin and could leave some behind in the lines. Trust me - you do not want to clog up your processor. Not fun to clean it out. I, myself, have never done that but in another life I was in sales and I saw some awful things that people did to their processors. 

Andi
________________________________________
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu [histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] on behalf of Clements, Mary Ann [clemenma <@t> evms.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2014 12:16 PM
To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: [Histonet] Tissue Tek VIP 5 cleaning cycle

Please excuse my ignorance as I am new to the world of Histology!
We currently run a 96 minute cleaning cycle after processing only 10-30 blocks.  Is it feasible to run a 60 minute cleaning cycle since our volume is so low or is length of cleaning cycle independent of block count?
Thank you in advance for your expertise,


Mary Ann Clements, B.S.
Biorepository Manager
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Leroy T. Canoles Jr. Cancer Research Center
Lewis Hall, Room 3018
700 West Olney Road
Norfolk, VA  23507

email: clemenma <@t> evms.edu<mailto:clemenma <@t> evms.edu>
phone: (757) 446-7910
fax: (757) 446- 7059

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