Hey Joe,

I'm with you!
The disposal of a expensive, validated, working reagent, just because of 
some mindless arbitrary date rule makes absolutely no sense!
I thought that we were in the era of evidence-based medicine, whatever 
happened?

Bryan Hewlett
Consultant technologist
Anatomic Pathology
Quality Management Program - Laboratory Services
Ontario, Canada.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joe Nocito" 
To: ; 
Sent: Thursday, April 27, 2006 6:27 PM
Subject: Re: [Histonet] Expired antibodies...for immunos..


> Oh boy,
> I get to get flamed again.
> JCAHO and CAP do not let you use expired reagents, including antibodies.
> therefore, everyone gets to through money down the drain time and time 
> again.
>    I called CAP and talked to a person who got very defensive when I asked 
> him to give the rule that says we can not use expired antibodies. He 
> referred me to the U.S. National Register. I'm sorry, I don't have that 
> information with right now but I'm sure someone will let me know.
>    My beef is, if you run a known positive control with every run, you 
> are, in essence, revalidating that antibody. Once that antibody doesn't 
> work, replace it with one that has not expired. I know this causes a 
> repeat and maybe a delay in reporting the results, but ask your 
> pathologists if they would want a one day delay, or throw thousands of 
> dollars down the sink.
>    When I was supervising the immuno lab at the AFIP, we froze 
> concentrated antibodies at -70 C and they still worked up to 10 years 
> later. Now, you can't even do that. A big waste, that what it is, a big 
> waste.
>    Let Flaming Friday begin.
>
> Joe Nocito BS, HT(ASCP)QIHC
> Histology Manager
> Pathology Reference Lab
> San Antonio, TX
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: 
> To: 
> Sent: Thursday, April 27, 2006 2:23 PM
> Subject: [Histonet] Expired antibodies...for immunos..
>
>
>> How does JCAHO handle expired antibodies if you have them...and are using
>> them...
>>  Is it ok ....or not??
>>   Kat
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