We had this same kind of problem last year about this time and it has
started again this year. We changed to DI water last year, but had to move
the stainer - too far away from the DI source. I have heard of places that
found when they changed to DI water, it helped. We just had a filter to
remove chlorine installed on our water line. (Purchased at Home Depot for
home systems). I think it is helping, but it's only been a week! Some days
some of the tissue looks very good and the control always looks good. I'm
trying to get the pathologists to give me specifics so that I can trace
tissue to processors, different fixatives (we hold in Prefer before putting
into formalin on the processors), Carnoy's etc. Sometimes I wish we could go
back to the days when we had mercury in the hematoxylin and large specimens
could fix overnight!! Those were the days! J:>)
Joyce Weems
Pathology Manager
Saint Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta


	-----Original Message-----
	From:	Colbert, Laurie [SMTP:LColbert@phsca.org]
	Sent:	Monday, March 20, 2000 3:08 PM
	To:	HistoNet (E-mail)
	Subject:	FW: H & E Staining problems



	-----Original Message-----
	From: Colbert, Laurie 
	Sent: Friday, March 17, 2000 2:14 PM
	To: 'CMD1352@aol.com'
	Subject: RE: H & E Staining problems


	We have had staining and/or processing problems off and on for
years, and we
	are presently going through a very bad period where the problem is
not
	correcting itself (which it always has in the past).  Our sections
have very
	faded nuclei mainly around the edges and an overall hazy look.
Several times
	the pathologists have commented that the slides were too pink. 

	For every theory we come up with, we can always disprove that
theory.  We do
	histology for five different hospitals, and the blocks are processed
on
	different processors.  Our processing schedules are pretty much the
same on
	each processor.  But when we have problems, we have problems with
all of the
	hospitals' blocks.

	The main problem is with the small biopsies (skin, GI's, prostate
needle
	biopsies, cervical biopsies).  We think it may be an over-processing
	problem, but when we got a demo processor so that we could set up a
short
	run for the biopsies, we still had problems.  The tissue looked
better, but
	not great.  One day the slides look as bad as they ever had.  Our
routine
	processing schedule is nine hours long.  We have one formalin, two
PenFix,
	three 100% alcohols, three xylenes, and three paraffins.  We use no
heat
	except on the paraffins.

	We have approached the problem as a staining problem, but have
pretty much
	ruled this out.  When we sent our slides to other facilities for
staining,
	they still looked bad.

	We are at a total loss.  Has anyone ever had water problems that
caused this
	problem?  We use tap water.

	Laurie Colbert
	Saint Joseph Medical Center
	Burbank, Ca
	(818) 557-5495 

	 


	-----Original Message-----
	From: CMD1352@aol.com [mailto:CMD1352@aol.com]
	Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2000 7:27 PM
	To: histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
	Subject: H & E Staining problems


	Our laboratory uses an automated Leica stainer for H & E.  The
pathologist 
	has noticed several slides with weak staining around the periphery
of the 
	tissue section.  The stain is very weak just along the edge of the
tissue.  
	The rest of the tissue stains fine.  I checked the temperature of
the slide 
	dryer and found no problem.  Any ideas how to solve this problem?