Hi:
At our hospital, we also provide containers for the small biopsies but as
far as the large ones go, they stopped using formalin a long time ago.
What they do is put the specimen in a plastic bag and then in another
plastic bag (biohazard zip lock type bag)
and then put the specimen in the refrigerator or the OR brings it to the
lab immediately
to us and either we transfer it into another container andd fill the
container once the tissue is in there or our pathologist does this after
examining the tissue.  Hope this helps.

Terry J. Mattoon HT(ASCP)
VA Med Ctr.  #113
White River Jct.,VT   05001
(802) 296-5193  (direct # to lab secretary)
802-296-6328  -  FAX

On Wed, 13 Sep 2000 11:25:27 -0400 "George, Cheryl" <cgerorge@optima.org>
writes:
> Hi out there,
>
> I could use some help.  Our laboratory is located in a hospital
> setting from
> where we service several other hospital sites.  The hospital safety
> committee is trying to remove formalin from the operating room area.
> Currently, we supply the OR with prefilled smaller containers but do
> not for
> the larger ones (such as a container for a colon, etc).  For those
> specimens, we provide an empty container and a 2.5 gallon carboy of
> formalin
> so that the staff can place the specimen in the container and then
> fill it
> with formalin.  I have always thought that this is safer than
> prefilling the
> large ones mainly because if someone 'plops' a large specimen in a
> prefilled
> one, it may splash.
>
> Can people please reply to me telling me how the situation is
> handled in
> your hospitals?  The first round of meetings about this begins
> Monday (9/18)
> and I would like to have some indication of what others are doing by
> then.
>
> Thanks
>
>
> Cheryl George, HT (ASCP)
> Anatomic Pathology Supervisor
> NHML
> (603)663-2686
> cgerorge@optima.org
>