I have a patient requesting her gall bladder be returned to her for religious reasons. The premise I've been given is so that, upon death, the patient may be stored with her body parts.
My facility has concerns about providing it to her in formalin (for obvious reasons) or alcohol. The patient admits this is a family practice with momma's appendix already being stored in the attic. It can get a bit toasty warm here in the South so attic storage of a specimen in alcohol may not be prudent and I can't be absolutely certain it wouldn't burn the house down, another potential liability for my institution. I'm tempted to give it to her in food grade vinegar, to avoid the potential liabilities from using anything that could be considered hazardous. Assuming that returning her gall bladder is a given, what do you think of using vinegar for this purpose? Vinnie Della Speranza Manager for Anatomic Pathology Services Medical University of South Carolina 165 Ashley Avenue Suite 309 Charleston, South Carolina 29425 Tel: (843) 792-6353 Fax: (843) 792-8974 _______________________________________________ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
