Tissue Procurement Flow Chart

 

TISSUE PROCUREMENT

 

Location: Frozen section room (Room 1) 1st floor University Hospital

 

Giordano lab: C562 MSRB 2

 

Contact info: 4-8025, page: 8952

 

What: Tissue Procurement provides researchers with tissue from surgically resected specimens. Tissue is excess, in that it is not sampled for morphologic evaluation. TPC has all supplies for procurement…snap tubes, OCT (Optimal Cutting Temperature) Compound, oct cyromolds, conicals (15ml and 50ml), cassettes.

 

Procurement List: Located on the blue clipboard located on the procurement bench (to the left of the cutting board). This list is a comprehensive list of ALL tissues that have been requested specifically by one of the investigators enrolled in the TPC.

  • Tissue is listed alphabetically, diagnosis is listed under tissue site
  • Investigator will be listed in the second column, followed by mode of procurement requested
  • S = snap frozen in liquid nitrogen – stored in handled dewar flask (in room 1 from 9- 5:30
  • OCT = Tissue embedded into OCT compound and dropped in Histobath (Histobath is on the extreme right hand side of procurement bench)
  • P = paraffin, tissue placed in labeled cassette and placed in formalin to be embedded into paraffin at a later time
  • Fresh in media = TPC provided RPMI in white refrigerator in frozen section room
  • Fresh in provided media = media provided by a specific investigator (labeled and held in white refrigerator in the frozen section)
  • Any additional comments/ contact info etc.., will be listed in the last column

 

OR NO Formalin list: Each day the TPC tech will go through the next days OR schedule. We will request no formalin be placed on the tissues so that we may obtain tissue for those investigators who have requested it. When residents are doing frozen sections – please check the OR no formalin list before putting on Formalin. Thanks!

 

  • The goal of procurement is to procure tissue in the fresh state with as little time elapsing as possible.  Many research projects are time dependant.  The more time that passes the more tissue degradation occurs.
  • If you have a fresh specimen, ask the TPC tech if they need tissue from the case.
  • The TPC is interested in normal, tumor and inflamed tissues.
  • Tissue suitable for procurement should meet certain parameters: is there enough for diagnosis, is it viable, will it ruin the orientation.  In general, tumors need to be at least 1.0 c.m. to be able to be procured upon.  For normal tissue, TPC usually wants a 1.0 x 1.0 x 0.2 c.m. portion of tissue.
  • The TPC tech's will inform you that they have a specimen for procurement and they will state how much and what they would like from the specimen.  If there is an excess of tissue from what is needed for diagnosis, give them the portions asked for.  If it is too small, state that and don't procure.  If you can procure some but not all of what they would like, that is fine too.  They usually have multiple investigators and will choose who will receive the tissue. If a specimen needs to be inked before sectioning, please do so before cutting into the specimen for procurement.
  • If the weight and measurement of a specimen will be altered by procuring on the specimen, write down on the requisition form the weight and measurement prior to procuring.
  • DO NOT submit a margin for procurement.
  • DO NOT submit necrotic tissue for procurement.
  • If you have an interesting case with excess tissue that isn't on the procurement list, inform TPC and they will let you know if they are interested in procuring
  • If you have an interesting formalin fixed case, let TPC know. Procurement also banks formalin fixed tissue for the Anonymous Paraffin Bank (APB)

 

 

 

 

 

Procurement

 

 

When TPC is NOT available BUT we know something is coming in

When tech is NOT available and we do NOT have advance notice

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

When TPC tech is available

 

 

Histotech or TPC tech will give a path. Accession #

 

Look at path sheet and container to see what type of specimen it is.

Look at TPC procurement list to see

1. Who wants the tissue

2. How they want it procured

3. Comments/ Contacts information

 

Ask Pathologist assistant/ Resident to procure tissue

Preserve tissue samples in modes requested by investigator

If the investigator has requested tissue fresh call or page investigator for tissue pick up

Procurement will place OR nurses NO Formalin list up with contact information for the person to contact to procure

A detailed list will be left on the procurement bench. All supplies will be left out for the case

Procure tissue and if needed contact information will be left. If it is a frozen specimen please place in the histobath on the far right side of procurement bench.

After hours procurement- ask the nurse / surgeon who (specifically) is interested in the tissue

Look the investigator name up on the TPC procurement list under tissue type.

If investigator is listed on procurement sheet procure tissue as requested

If they are not listed they are not enrolled with Tissue Procurement

If the tissue is not listed on the procurement list but is a large interesting tumor place tissue in cyromold with OCT and drop in histobath on the far right side of the bench.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

                    

 

 

 

 

* On all cases please note patient name on accession # on post-it note or the tpc log sheet. Thanks