We have access to dry ice in our lab, it works very well.  A block of dry ice is put on a towel next to the microtome and the blocks are laid on top of it. (Face them in first at room temperature.)  They rarely get too cold, and if they do, you just press your thumb against the surface for a moment. If it is bloody and "sawdusty", I float it in the hot water bath for 10-20 seconds and then replace on the dry ice.  It keeps the whole block cold so you can cut multiple levels at one cutting, without re-icing the block.

 -----Original Message-----
From: 	Chung, Luong [mailto:lchung@ppmh.org] 
Sent:	Tuesday, July 22, 2003 09:27
To:	'Mitchell, Nancy'; 'HistoNet@pathology.swmed.edu'
Subject:	RE: ice trays

Have you ever use crushed ice?  With crushed ice, you can sink the whole
block in the ice and it cool faster.  Just a suggestion.

Bruce Chung, MSM, CT(ASCP)
Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital
Anatomic Pathology Manager
(229) 312-6130


-----Original Message-----
From: Mitchell, Nancy [mailto:NMitchell@sach.org]
Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2003 12:02 PM
To: 'HistoNet@pathology.swmed.edu'
Subject: ice trays


We use ice trays at our facility as well and the histotechs love them. I
have used cooling trays/freezers but ulitmately, we keep going back to the
ice trays and save hundreds of dollars.  I guess there are just some things
that you can't improve on with technology!
 
HIPAA Privacy Rule requires covered entities to safeguard certain Protected
Health Information (PHI) related to a person's healthcare. Information being
sent to you may include PHI, after appropriate consent, acknowledgement, or
authorization from the patient or under circumstances that do not require
patient authorization. You, the recipient, are obligated to maintain PHI in
a safe and secure manner. You may not re-disclose this patient information
without additional patient consent or as required by law. Unauthorized
re-disclosure or failure to safeguard PHI could subject us, or you, to
penalties described in federal (HIPAA) and state law. If you, the reader of
this message, are not the intended recipient, or the employee or agent
responsible to deliver it to the intended recipient, please notify us
immediately and destroy the related message. Thanks for your help.




Confidentiality Note:

The preceding e-mail message (including any attachments) contains information that may be confidential, protected by applicable legal privileges, or constitute non-public information. It is intended to be conveyed only to the designated recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this message, please notify the sender by replying to this message and then delete it from your system. Use, dissemination, distribution or reproduction of this message by unintended recipients is not authorized and may be unlawful.