[Histonet] Staples and Sutures

[Bob Richmond]

Kenneth G Metzger HTL(ASCP), Histology Supervisor, ARUP Labs, Salt Lake
City, Utah asks:

>>Recently we have had a marked increase in staples and sutures in our
tissue that arrives for processing. I have tried to relay to our
pathologists and PA's the difficulty in cutting sections and the tissue
destruction in getting staples and sutures out once the tissue is processed
to paraffin. I was told by some of them that in their experience histology
should dealing with this issue. Though my own opinion is this is position
is not valid, I've been asked to collect opinions from other histology
departments if there are protocols that the grossing individual should be
removing the foreign object. Please give me any feedback...Thanks<<

What la-la land are your pathologists and PAs off in? I've caught plenty of
hell in my life in pathology since 1964 - particularly back before the days
of disposable blades - for not getting staples out of tissue before
submitting it. This is definitely the responsibility of whoever's doing the
grossing.

Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Maryville TN