Re: Small biopsies
Dan (et.al.),
The method we use for coloring small biopsies is the most popular idea taken home for use by CAP inspection teams. It goes as follows:
1. Take whatever formulation of Eosin you are are currently using and concen-
trate it down to 50% of it's original volume (we do this by boiling it on a hot
plate in a beaker)
2. We then go to our hospital pharmacy and get a "dropper bottle" to put it into
and keep with us at our grossing station. Using the squeeze dropper we
place a couple of squirts of this marker on any small biopsies that may
blend in with the color of liquid paraffin encountered during the embedding
process. The eosin maintains it's brilliance for embedding purposes through
the tissue processing cycle but is essentially "washed out" during the initial
steps of subsequent H&E or IHC staining. Note: if you don't have access to
a hospital pharmacy for your dropper bottles any drug store pharmacy can
supply you with these.
As an additional suggestion we had our carpenter shop make us a small
square wooden block with a cutout down into it to fit the size and shape of our
dropper bottle so we didn't have to worry about it tipping over and making a
mess during the hurry often associated with grossing. This is a slam dunk
that is simple, consistent and easy to implement into your daily regimen.
Best wishes, Greg
Greg Luck
Anatomic Path Supervisor
Deaconess Med Center
Spokane,WA 99204
(509)473-7393
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