Re: [Histonet] Re: Fixatives

From:Patti Loykasek

Dr. Richmond, I always appreciate your views and comments. I do think if a
bottle comes to the lab with a label noting fixative it could be dictated as
"...received in container labeled ..." or ",,,received in unlabeled
container..", this is what was done at previous facilities I have worked,
but perhaps is not the norm.
I do agree that the elephant in the room is how poor or improper
fixation/processing affects everything downstream. I could go on & on about
this issue. I feel that CAP nor anyone else does very little to address this
issue. Everyone turns a bit of a blind eye to it.
Thanks for the input.


Patti Loykasek BS, HTL, QIHC
PhenoPath Laboratories
Seattle, WA





> Patti Loykasek at PhenoPath Laboratories notes >>We are a reference lab and
> receive specimens from all over the USA. One of my "pet peeves" is that it is
> rare to see in the report exactly what type of fixative the specimen was
> received in or subsequently processed in. I know we have no standard form of
> reporting, but it just seems like best practice to me to include this
> information on 
> the report. One of my favorites is "...received in fixative..." - not very
> helpful.<<
> 
> That's exactly the phrase I use in my gross descriptions, and for a very good
> reason. I'm not about to stick my nose into every specimen bottle to verify
> that it contains formalin and not alcohol, water, or pine-scented floor
> disinfectant (used at one hospital I know as a "fixative" for placentas). I'm
> willing 
> to smell-test a very occasional container where I'm suspicious that the wrong
> fixative has been used, but not every time!
> 
> Time of fixation is the dead horse in the middle of the living room floor -
> nobody wants to hear that the HER2 immunostain for breast cancer requires
> overnight fixation, for example.
> 
> Bob Richmond
> Gastonia NC
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