Allison Hutton asks: >>We had a question come up regarding giving patients back their placentas >>(patient's request) after delivery. Our general rule is not to return >>tissues, except for religious reasons. We are now trying to come up with a >>concrete SOP for (or not) returning tissues. I was curious what other >>institutions are doing in regards to this topic. I know laws vary by location >>but I am looking for a general idea.<<
This is a complicated topic. There's a bizarre fad out there for women's eating their babies' placentas. Obviously they don't want them fixed in formalin. I actually had such a request once. Highly observant Jews may require burial of resected tissue in a Jewish cemetery, and native Americans may have similar requirements. I've also had requests for return of amputated limbs for burial in a rural family cemetery. Requests like this are best handled with the help of a funeral director. I think the Joint Commission (or whatever they're called this week) has banned souvenir gallstones and tonsils. Remember if you simply must hand a patient fixed tissue, transfer it from formaldehyde to 70% alcohol - much less toxic. Bob Richmond Samurai Pathologist Knoxville TN _______________________________________________ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
