Melissa,
You may consider the Thermo-Electron  Cryotome E.  It has made a
considerable difference in our frozen section quality, turn-around time,
and performance.  It has an automated decontamination process that
fumigates the chamber with formalin once a week, nightly, or immediately.
There is no need to disassemble, as the formalin fumes infiltrate all
internal chamber orifices.  Then microtome is housed outside the frozen
chamber.  (No ice buildup in the moving parts) We wipe out debris daily
with ethanol.  We were recently inspected by CAP and passed using this
procedure.  There is a generous sized container that captures melt-off
fluids for easy disposal located on the front of the cryostat.  The large
chamber can accommodate multiple  blocks at a time.  All controls are on
the outside (no more frozen fingers).  Automatically retract/advance, macro
or micro, with a push of a button.  There are a few too many push buttons
on the control panel, but I solved that problem by taping a tongue
depressor over those that could cause problems.

Hope this helps.

Renee Grow, BA., HT (ASCP)
rgrow@bmnet.com
Histology Supervisor
Blount Memorial Hospital
907 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy.
Maryville, TN  37804-5016
(865) 977-4744
(865) 977-5766 Fax

Message: 17
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2004 09:32:13 -0700 (PDT)
From: Melissa Jans 
Subject: [Histonet] cryostat purchase
To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Message-ID: <20040712163213.88159.qmail@web50303.mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Vendors welcome to reply....

We are looking to purchase 2 cryostats.  I have been given a very small
window of time in which I must make a decision and purchase.

We are a large laboratory with 3 cryostats right now.  Given current CAP
regulations, each cryostat must defrosted, unassembled, decontaminated, and
reassembled each week.  This has caused our cryostats to become a little
"loose."  I will not mention our current vendor, but will merely say when
these cryostats were designed, I do not believe they were ever intended to
be taken apart and put back together so frequently.

I am hoping some fellow histonetters will have some vendors and models of
recently purchased cryostats.  Important features for our lab include: ease
of decontamination - unassembly/assembly (self-decontamination would be
great), ease of use (we are a teaching hospital and do not want anything
with too many buttons!), quality of sections, movable specimen head, large
chamber size (enough room for at least 6-10 freezing stations).  I could go
on and on....

Please send any suggestions my way.
I have been looking at the archives.....with minimal success.

Thanks!
Melissa Jans
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics

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