Vinnie, We had an issue with this concerning tonsils (the kids wanted them). We rinsed out the excess formalin after the final sign out by a pathologist (2 weeks), patted it dry and gave the sample to them in a clean container. This way it was fixed but they did not have the issue of formalin. I'm guessing that 2 weeks fixation should be sufficient for everything to be fixed. Bernice
Bernice Frederick HTL (ASCP) Northwestern University Pathology Core Facility ECOGPCO-RL 710 N Fairbanks Court Olson 8-421 Chicago,IL 60611 312-503-3723 -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Della Speranza, Vinnie Sent: Monday, November 24, 2008 4:37 PM To: histonet Subject: [Histonet] as Thanksgiving approaches, what do you think about a gall bladder in vinegar ? 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 [email protected] http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet _______________________________________________ Histonet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
