[Histonet] Floaters

Mon Dec 7 11:23:37 CST 2020

Interesting thread. Thanks for kicking it off.

Does anybody have a reference that cites diagnostic errors caused by floaters / contamination from other specimens?

John

On Mon, Dec 7, 2020 at 9:15 AM, Joe W. Walker, Jr. via Histonet <histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu> wrote:

> Don’t shoot the messenger. :)
>
> Joe W. Walker, Jr. MS, SCT(ASCP)
> Anatomical Pathology and Interim Phlebotomy Manager
> Rutland Regional Medical Center
> 160 Allen Street, Rutland, VT 05701
> P 802.747.1790 F 802.747.6525
> joewalker at rrmc.org, www.rrmc.org
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Terri Braud via Histonet <histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
> Sent: Monday, December 7, 2020 8:42 AM
> To: 'histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu' <histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
> Subject: Re: [Histonet] Floaters
>
> [External Email] This email originated from outside of the organization. Think before you click: Don’t click on links, open attachments or respond to requests for sensitive information if the email looks suspicious or you don’t recognize the sender.
>
> 60% of floaters from the water bath? I find that really hard to believe.
> The Gephardt and Zarbo CAP study from 1996 showed reported the results of a Q-Probes study of 275 laboratories and documented a frequency of contamination of between 0.6% and 2.9%, depending on the study method. Their study demonstrated the rate of extraneous tissue contamination was higher for blocks than for slides and higher in a retrospective review than in a prospective study. So in other words, when people knew they were being studied, they were more careful and the contamination rate went down, but in retrospect, the majority of floaters occurred in the blocks, not the water bath.
>
> Terri L. Braud, HT(ASCP)
> Anatomic Pathology Supervisor
> HNL Labs, Holy Redeemer Hospital
> 1648 Huntingdon Pike
> Meadowbrook, PA 19046
> ph: 215-938-3689
> fax: 215-938-3874
> Care, Comfort, and Heal
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. "Floaters" in surgical or cytology specimens
> (Martha Ward-Pathology)
> 2. Re: "Floaters" in surgical or cytology specimens
> (Joe W. Walker, Jr.)
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 4 Dec 2020 13:55:20 +0000
> From: Martha Ward-Pathology <mward at wakehealth.edu>
> To: "histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu"
> <histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
> Subject: [Histonet] "Floaters" in surgical or cytology specimens
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> I am posting this question for a colleague in our Cytology department. How often do you see floaters on surgical or cytology specimens? Obviously we would never want to see any type of carryover but is there a standard rate published somewhere that he can reference?
>
> Thanks in advance for your help.
>
> Martha Ward, MT ASCP, QIHC
> Manager, Molecular Diagnostics Lab
> Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Fri, 4 Dec 2020 17:41:11 +0000
> From: "Joe W. Walker, Jr." <jwwalker at rrmc.org>
> To: Martha Ward-Pathology <mward at wakehealth.edu>
> Cc: "histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu"
> <histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
> Subject: Re: [Histonet] "Floaters" in surgical or cytology specimens
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> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://academic.oup.com/ajcp/article/136/5/767/1766314__;!!I87qwjxLstg3H_X5!rJ2yq9KcDC2PooORZtJvXi4R8vHOIg5tak39dSSWFLa5SL1M73A18pgYpUvPASA$
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> "Floaters represent a potential source of diagnostic error and occur in 0.01% to 1.2% of slides. Pick up of floaters from the water bath appears most common (?60%). Floaters in only 1 level and mismatch with the specimen tissue type are clues to the extraneous nature of the floater."
>
> Joe W. Walker, Jr. MS, SCT(ASCP)
> Anatomical Pathology and Interim Phlebotomy Manager Rutland Regional Medical Center
> 160 Allen Street, Rutland, VT 05701
> P 802.747.1790 F 802.747.6525
> joewalker at rrmc.org, http://www.rrmc.org
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Martha Ward-Pathology via Histonet <histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
> Sent: Friday, December 4, 2020 8:55 AM
> To: histonet at lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> Subject: [Histonet] "Floaters" in surgical or cytology specimens
>
> [External Email] This email originated from outside of the organization. Think before you click: Don?t click on links, open attachments or respond to requests for sensitive information if the email looks suspicious or you don?t recognize the sender.
>
> I am posting this question for a colleague in our Cytology department. How often do you see floaters on surgical or cytology specimens? Obviously we would never want to see any type of carryover but is there a standard rate published somewhere that he can reference?
>
> Thanks in advance for your help.
>
> Martha Ward, MT ASCP, QIHC
> Manager, Molecular Diagnostics Lab
> Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
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