Vinnie,
  Do you use the stainless steel knives or disposable?  You can store the knives in the cryostat as well as disposables and have one ready for cutting whenever there is a delay between patients.  If your frozens are continuous you may want to consider disposable blades in order to change knives after each patient (more expensive, but OSHA safe) and these can be kept cold in the cryostat.  Obviously, this would mean that the pathologists would have to be trained in putting in the knife...how easy is that :).  Our MOHs surgery  uses two cryostats side by side and alternate patients between the two. This seems to work very well.   Good Luck.  Pat Karlisch,Team Leader, Geisinger Medical Center.

>>> Vinnie Della Speranza <dellav@musc.edu> 06/26 1:08 PM >>>
in the aftermath of an employee injury, our safety officer is insisting that we remove cryostat knives at the end of the shift (leaving no blade in the cyrostat over night) and change blades in between patients. She claims that failure to do so would be a violation of OSHA's requirements for safe work practices. The employee nicked her thumb while tidying up the interior of one of our units.

We commonly juggle frozen section specimens from more than one patient simulataneously. We are a busy facility with a very large transplant program. It is not uncommon for pathologists to be called to do frozens at odd hours, hence the need for a cold knife that is ready to go at all times.

I would like to hear your thoughts on this matter and from facilities who might be using practices similar to that being asked of us. Thanks

Vinnie







Vinnie Della Speranza
Manager for Anatomic Pathology Services
Medical University of South Carolina
165 Ashley Avenue
Suite 309
Charleston, SC  29425
ph:  (843) 792-6353
fax: (843) 792-8974
email: Dellav@musc.edu