[Histonet] Ventana dispenser issues - AGAIN

[Dyer, Terry]

Hello,
Once again we are having issues also.  I called Roche to ask if there are issues with dispensers again and they said there are not.  We had intermittent staining on a Ultra.  We checked all of our dispensers and discovered that the OV Link dispenser was difficult to plunge so I removed it and changed out the solution to another light sensitive dispenser just to see if that was the issue and it was.  The remainder of the kit worked without any trouble.  I know this is not the appropriate thing to do but I wanted to know if it was the ULTRA or the dispenser. I relayed this to Roche and they said that I void the replacement because I changed out the dispenser, but at least it is documented.
If we are having any problems we call Roche and document everything on their end and ours.   These are great instruments but we agree the
staining inconsistency is an issue.  Pathologists get frustrated plus the extra repeat staining and turnaround time adds up.
Hopefully everyone calls and documents.  If they do not hear from everyone they won't feel that it is an issue.
Just my thoughts. 

Terry Dyer, HT(ASCP)
IHC Specialist 

-----Original Message-----
From: Terri Braud [mailto:tbraud at holyredeemer.com] 
Sent: Monday, May 14, 2018 11:49 AM
To: histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: [Histonet] Ventana dispenser issues - AGAIN

When will this company ever learn? I'm at my wit's end with failed dispensers from Roche Ventana.  The volume of time I've wasted on this issue with this company is monumental.  They refuse to give true tracking information on the dispensers.  We have a relatively new Ultra.  The instrument is lovely, but the stains completely unreliable because of the dispenser failure.  Worse yet, one can never tell when the dispenser will fail.  It might fail right out of the box, or work fine for 30 tests and fail on 31.  This problem has been going on since the end of 2017 and still is continuing.  I know I'm not alone because of the recalls and most recently, the Medical Device Ongoing Action published 5/11/2018. Reaching out to the company is like trying to talk to a politician who talks in circles.  I'm truly at a loss and would welcome any suggestions from non-Roche employees.
Frustrated, Terri

Terri L. Braud, HT(ASCP)
Anatomic Pathology Supervisor