[Histonet] Losing sections

[Terri Braud]

I may have an answer for you.  Your Prisma stainer only runs the heater when needed.  With full runs, the oven stays warm, but later stain runs allow for the heater to cool down.  When your rack goes into the dry station, the heat comes up from the bottom to start to dry the slide, thus the bottom sections have enough dry time, but the top don't, and they wash off.
We used to encounter the same problem and that is what we hypothesized was happening, because, when we ran a blank rack through 10 minutes before loading the late rack, we were fine. Or, when we dried in a 60'C oven for 15 minutes when loading that lone late rack, we were fine.  
Just an idea, but for us, no more wash offs of top sections.

Terri L. Braud, HT(ASCP)
HNL Laboratories for 
Holy Redeemer Hospital
1648 Huntingdon Pike
Meadowbrook, PA 19046
Ph: 215-938-3689
Fax: 215-938-2021

Message: 4
Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2023 14:25:31 +0000
From: "Kolman, Kimberly D." <Kim.Kolman at va.gov>
Subject: [Histonet] losing sections

For your entertainment, I have a bizarre phenomenon to share with the group:
I am occasionally losing the TOP section on a deeper cut H&E slide.
Full run of daily slides do not show this issue.  A deeper slide cut later in the day might, or a deeper slide cut first thing in the morning may, when I've not run a full daily run.
I have switched to a different lot number of standard slides.  I have used adhesive slides. Distilled water for the water bath same as I have used for 20 years. Using Sta-On adhesive in the water bath. H&E stain done on a Prisma Plus stainer, with no changes in staining procedure.  There have been NO changes to any of my procedures.
This is a very random happening that is boggling my mind! If any section was going to fall off, I'd think it would be the 2nd section - (last one picked up from the water bath).  I've tried to make sure the slide has thoroughly dried before putting it on the stainer.  Slides appear clean, and no greasy fingerprints on the slide.  The one I always lose is the TOP section/very first level taken.

Any ideas? Do I just have a Histo Gremlin here?
Thanks for your input.
Kim
Kimberly D. Kolman, HT (ASCP)
Eastern Kansas Health Care System
Eisenhower VA Medical Center - Histology 115
4101 S. 4th St. Trfwy.
Leavenworth, KS 66048
913-682-2000 x 62537
Fax: 913-758-4193