Thank you, Joe. We have a form that was drawn up by our legal 
department that releases us from any responsibility - we have just 
never had a request like this before!! j

-----Original Message-----
From:	Nocito, Joseph [SMTP:joseph_nocito@srhc.iwhs.org]
Sent:	Wednesday, June 16, 1999 10:22 AM
To:	Weems, Joyce; 'Histonet'
Subject:	RE: Breast Implants

Joyce,
we don't give the patient back anything, stones, implants or ortho 
hardware.
I had an incident last week where a patient insisted on getting her
gallbladder stones.  The pathologist refused her request.  The 
pathology
secretary and I made several telephone calls to our Risk management 
office
and the corporate lawyer.  The only way we are to release any specimen 
to a
patient is if Risk management says it is okay and then they assume 
the
responsibility.  As to your second question, I've never heard of 
anyone
video taping a procedure.  Smells like a law suit.  I would get 
intouch with
who ever handles the legal situations in your institution.  Fast!

Joe Nocito, B.S., HT(ASCP)QIHC
Histology Supervisor
Christus Santa Rosa Hospitals
San Antonio, Texas


> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Weems, Joyce [SMTP:JWEEMS@sjha.org]
> Sent:	Wednesday, June 16, 1999 6:57 AM
> To:	'Histonet'
> Subject:	RE: Breast Implants
>
> OK - Is everyone ignoring me or what!!! :>)
>
> Do you release your breast implants dry or in a solution? Thanks, j
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Weems, Joyce
> Sent:	Monday, June 14, 1999 5:37 PM
> To:	'Histonet'
> Subject:	Breast Implants
>
> Two questions:
>
> 1.	Do you release breast implants to patients in an alcohol or
> formalin substitute? We wash them in a bleach solution and release
> them in the dry state. However, if the specimen has been around for
> mold can end up growing all over it. Our pathologist wonders if 
there
> is a standard in the industry for this procedure.
>
> 2.	The owner of the above implants has contacted our pathologist
> requesting that her breast capsule (which has adhered to the shell 
of
> the implants) be dissected from the shell under videotaped
> surveillance. "A lab told her this," she says. Has anyone heard of
> such a procedure?
>
> Thanks in advance, j:>)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>