[Histonet] Flammable Sprays in Cryostats

[P Sicurello]

This was copied from the Centers for Disease Control's Morbidity and
Mortality Weekly Report (January 2012)
*5.9.2. Work at the open bench*
Frozen sections
— Frozen sectioning is performed on fresh tissue and is a high-risk
procedure for infectious exposure. Freezing tissue does not kill organisms,
and the use of the cryostat cutting blade creates potentially dangerous
aerosols. Discuss the true clinical necessity for frozen sectioning with
the surgical team.
— Although some cryostat instruments have a downdraft into the instrument,
aerosols are dispersed into the room where the cutting takes place. Do not
use freezing propellant sprays, which speed the freezing process by a few
seconds and cause aerosolization of not only the tissue being frozen but
also the tissues from previously cut specimens that are at the base of the
instrument. Such procedures generate aerosol and droplet contamination,
posing an infectious risk to all personnel in the area (*56,79,82*). The
Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute and others have recommended
discontinuation of freezing sprays because they are not recommended by the
manufacturers of cryostat instrumentation (*2,79*).

Sincerely,

Paula Sicurello, HTL (ASCP)CM

Histotechnology Specialist

UC San Diego Health

9300 Campus Point Drive

La Jolla, CA 92037
(P): 858-249-5610



*Confidentiality Notice*: The information transmitted in this e-mail is
intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may
contain confidential and/or privileged material.  Any review,
retransmission, dissemination or other use of or taking of any action in
reliance upon this information by persons or entities other than the
intended recipient is prohibited.  If you received this e-mail in error,
please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer.


On Thu, Sep 26, 2019 at 4:37 AM jasonhauser71 at gmail.com <
jasonhauser71 at gmail.com> wrote:

> I have heard this before. Any documention of this actually happening.
> I have tested for blood on surfaces outside the cabinet and never observed
> a positive result.
>
>
> Jason Hauser
> Senior Histotech
> The South Bend Clinic
>
> *Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE device*
>
> ------ Original message------
> *From: *P Sicurello
> *Date: *Wed, Sep 25, 2019 11:17 PM
> *To: *jasonhauser71 at gmail.com;
> *Cc: *Akemi;Knutson, Deanne;Histonet;
> *Subject:*Re: [Histonet] Flammable Sprays in Cryostats
>
> It's not safe to use any type of spray in a cryostat.  It creates aerosols
> of who knows what (tuberculosis) from potentially infectious patient
> biopsies.  I would not recommend it, just as a universal precaution.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Paula Sicurello, HTL (ASCP)CM
>
> Histotechnology Specialist
>
> UC San Diego Health
>
> 9300 Campus Point Drive
>
> La Jolla, CA 92037
> (P): 858-249-5610
>
>
>
> *Confidentiality Notice*: The information transmitted in this e-mail is
> intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may
> contain confidential and/or privileged material.  Any review,
> retransmission, dissemination or other use of or taking of any action in
> reliance upon this information by persons or entities other than the
> intended recipient is prohibited.  If you received this e-mail in error,
> please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer.
>
>
> On Wed, Sep 25, 2019 at 7:16 PM jasonhauser71--- via Histonet <
> histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu> wrote:
>
>> There are non flammable sprays available. We got the recall notice and
>> switched our old inventory out. I found 3 different histology specific
>> sprays. The electronic industry offers some as well. Another option is just
>> using LN2 .Jason HauserSenior Histology TechnicianThe South Bend ClinicSent
>> from my T-Mobile 4G LTE device------ Original message------From: AkemiDate:
>> Wed, Sep 25, 2019 10:05 AMTo: Knutson, Deanne;Histonet;Cc: Subject:Re:
>> [Histonet] Flammable Sprays in CryostatsWe are purchasing two of their
>> newer UV cryostats and they were adamant that we use a non flammable
>> freezing spray because it can damage the UV unit and have potential for
>> exploding.
>>
>> Akemi Allison
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> > On Sep 25, 2019, at 7:50 AM, Knutson, Deanne via Histonet  wrote:
>> >
>> > I just received a letter from Leica Biosystems where they are
>> prohibiting the usage of flammable
>> > freezing sprays in their cryostats.  What are others using in their
>> cryostats to instantly freeze specimens?
>> >
>> > Thank you.
>> >
>> >
>> > Deanne Knutson
>> > Supervisor
>> > Anatomic Pathology
>> > dknutson at primecare.org
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >  ________________________________
>> > This email may include confidential and privileged information. If this
>> is not intended for your use, please destroy immediately and contact the
>> sender of the message.
>> >
>> > This email and attachments contain information that may be confidential
>> or privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, notify the sender at
>> once and delete this message completely from your information system.
>> Further use, disclosure, or copying of information contained in this email
>> is not authorized, and any such action should not be construed as a waiver
>> of privilege or other confidentiality protections.
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > Histonet mailing list
>> > Histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu
>> > http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Histonet mailing list
>> Histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu
>> http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
>>
>