Histology Direct #: 863.577.1147
After Hours Emergency: 863.687.1322 & have pathologist on call paged.
**Specimen Labeling and Submission Requirements**
- Each specimen container must include 2 unique patient identifiers (name, date of birth, clinic/medical record number, etc….)
- Each requisition must include patient’s name, physician’s name, insurance information, specimen site, ICD code and any pertinent clinical history.
- Each requisition must clearly indicate test requested.
Biopsies for Routine Histology
All biopsies for routine histology should be placed in 10% formalin
- Specimens and requisition are to be placed into plastic bio-hazard bag, logged into specimen book and placed in pick-up area for courier.
For RUSH histology specimens, do as instructed above adding RUSH or STAT to the requisition. Place specimen in pick-up area and courier will pick up on next run. There is no need for a STAT pick-up.
Biopsies for Frozen Sections
- Soak a piece of gauze with saline (please do not immerse specimen in saline) and place biopsy onto gauze.
- Fold gauze over, place into empty specimen or urine container and label as above.
- Clearly indicate on the requisition a telephone number at which the pathologist can reach the physician.
- Place specimen and requisition into a plastic biohazard bag, log into specimen book and place specimen in the refrigerator awaiting the arrival of the courier.
Call MicroPath and notify them you have a frozen section for a STAT pick up. A courier will be dispatched immediately.
Biopsies for Bone Marrow
- Submit all bone marrow specimens for routine pathology processing in IBF fixative.
- Very important- record the time the specimen was placed in IBF fixative.
- Bone marrow and peripheral blood collected for flow cytometry (should be submitted) in a lavender top tube.
- Any blood smears should be clearly labeled with the patient’s name and date.
- Collect bone marrow and peripheral blood for cytogenetics in a green tube top.
- Specimens and requisition are to be placed into plastic biohazard bag, logged into specimen book and placed in pick-up area for courier.
Fine Needle Aspirations
- Specimen should be placed in PreservCyt solution or in a sterile container and placed in the refrigerator.
- To ensure all aspirate material is collected the needle should be flushed with PreservCyt or Cytolyte fixative.
- Aspirate smears should be labelled with the patient’s name and site of the aspiration.
- The smears should be spray-fixed or placed in 95% alcohol.
- If more than one smear is prepared, let one slide air-dry for possible wright giemsa stain.
Specimens for Cytology
Gynecologic Specimens
- Specimens should be collected in either a ThinPrep vial or as a conventional smear.
- For a ThinPrep vial, collection device should be briskly agitated in the solution in vial 10 times. Collection device should then be discarded.
- For a conventional smear, collection device should be used to smear specimen along the unfrosted portion of the slide. Slide should then be spray-fixed and placed into mailing receptacle or cardboard slide holder.
- Specimen containers should have tight fitting lid and either container or slide holder should be placed, along with the requisition, into appropriate biohazard transport bag.
In the event you have a biopsy and slides, one requisition is adequate as long as both tests are indicated and requisition contains appropriate information for both specimens.
For RUSH cytology specimens, do as instructed above adding RUSH or STAT to the requisition. Place specimen in pick-up area and courier will pick up on next run. There is no need for a STAT pick-up.
Thin Preps for Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)
- Specimen should be collected as a routine Thin Prep and submitted for either Thin Prep with HPV, Thin Prep with Reflex to HPV, HPV alone or HPV regardless.
- Indicate on requisition the preferred test.
- Specimen, along with requisition, should be placed in appropriate biohazard transport bag.
Non- Gynecologic Specimens
Body Cavity Fluids (chest, pleural, thoracic, abdominal, peritoneal, paracentesis, ascites, pericardial, synovial, joint fluids)
- Collect fluid in a clean, dry, sterile container with a minimum of 10 ml.
- Preferably use fresh, unfixed specimen.
- An anticoagulant or fixative is not required, but if any is added, it should be noted on the requisition.
- If the specimen cannot be sent immediately to the laboratory, it should be placed in a refrigerator at 4C and not allowed to freeze.
- Container should have tight fitted lid and specimen, along with requisition should be placed in appropriately sized biohazard transport bag.
Cerebral Spinal Fluid
- Specimen should be collected in small (15-25 ml.) conical/test tube or as smears.
- Specimens collected in tubes must remain fresh and be refrigerated prior to being picked up by MicroPath Laboratories.
- Smears should be collected on two slides. One should be sprayed with spray-fixative and the other slide air-dried. Both slides should then be placed into mailing receptacle or cardboard slide holder for transport.
- Specimen containers should have a tight fitting lid and either container or slide holder should be placed, along with the requisition, into appropriate biohazard transport bag.
Respiratory Tract Fluid
- Samples must be deep cough material and should be collected on consecutive days for optimal results. Prior to fixation, specimens should be refrigerated.
- Specimens should be placed in 70% alcohol or in Saccomanno fixative with a ratio of specimen to fixative is 1:4 or should remain fresh and be refrigerated prior to being picked up by MicroPath Laboratories.
- Specimen containers should have tight fitting lid and either container or slide holder should be placed, along with the requisition, into appropriate biohazard transport bag.
Brushings for Cytology and/or Fungus
- Label 2 slides with pencil including the patient name and medical record number.
- Please do not use paper labels; label the frosted or white end of the slides.
- Designate between more than one specimen with A, B, 1, 2, Rt., Lt., etc…
- Brush specimen on slides and spray slides with cytology fixative.
- Place slides in cardboard slide holder.
- Fill out MicroPath requisition with patient name, physician’s name, insurance information, specimen site and clinical history.
- Place slides and requisition into a plastic biohazard bag, log into specimen book and place in specimen pick-up area to await courier.
Urine Tract Specimens
- Urine should be placed in container provided, add 1:1 ratio of PreservCyt.
- If no preservative is added, urine should be refrigerated prior to being picked up by MicroPath Laboratories.
- Container should have tight fitted lid and specimen, along with requisition should be placed in appropriately sized biohazard transport bag.
UroVysion™ (Kit supplied by MicroPath)
- Urine specimen should be collected in blue capped urine container. A minimum of 30cc of urine is required. If urine exceeds 60cc, pour off excess.
- Pour entire contents of PreservCyt vial into urine specimen. Discard empty vial.
- Place blue lid on specimen container tightly.
- Specimen, along with requisition, should then be placed in appropriate biohazard transport bag.
Specimens for Flow Cytometry
If you are aware the physician will need flow cytometry on a patient prior to the procedure, please notify MicroPath of the date and time. Call MicroPath immediately for pick-up.
- Keep specimen in its FRESH state, either fresh or wrapped in gauze dampened with saline.
- Submit properly labeled specimen with completed requisition form with specification of test required.
- Container should have a tight fitting lid and specimen, along with requisition, should be then be placed in appropriate biohazard transport bag.
- Store in the refrigerator until specimen is picked up for transportation by courier to MicroPath Laboratories.
Tissue/FNA
- Soak a piece of gauze with saline and place biopsy onto gauze. Fold gauze over and place into empty specimen or urine container OR Place specimen in fresh RPMI -1640 (with L-glutamine solution).
- Fill out MicroPath requisition with patient’s full name, date of birth, physician’s name, insurance information, specimen site and clinical history.
- Indicate on the requisition that the specimen is for “FLOW CYTOMETRY” and mark test desired.
- Place specimen and requisition into a plastic biohazard bag, log into specimen book and place specimen in the refrigerator awaiting the arrival of the courier.
- Call MicroPath and notify them you have a specimen for flow cytometry and need a STAT pick up. A courier will be dispatched immediately.
Fluids
- Place the sealed container holding the aspirated fluid on a cold pack.
- Fill out MicroPath requisition with patient’s full name, physician’s name, date of birth, insurance information, specimen site and clinical history.
- Indicate on the requisition that the specimen is for “FLOW CYTOMETRY.”
- Place specimen and requisition into a plastic biohazard bag, log into specimen book and place specimen in the refrigerator awaiting the arrival of the courier.
- Call MicroPath and notify them you have a specimen for flow cytometry and need a STAT pick up. A courier will be dispatched immediately.
Bone Marrow / Peripheral Blood
- Bone marrow and peripheral blood collected for flow cytometry (should be submitted) in a lavender top tube.
- Any blood smears should be clearly labeled with the patient’s name and date.
- Collect bone marrow and peripheral blood for cytogenetics in a green tube top.
- A MicroPath requisition is to be filled out for each patient and must include patient’s full name, date of birth, physician’s name, insurance information, specimen site and any pertinent clinical history available. IMPORTANT – include a CBC with Diff and retic count.
- Specimens and requisition are to be placed into plastic biohazard bag, logged into specimen book and placed in pick-up area for courier.
Fluorescent In-Situ Hybridization (FISH):
- Cut 4 micron, paraffin sections on positively charged slides (1 section per slide).
- Submit 3 slides per test.
- Indicate appropriate tests on request form.
- Send slides and requisition to the attention of MicroPath Histology Department
OR
Submit paraffin block with appropriate requisition to the attention of MicroPath Histology Department
OR
- A wet tissue specimen submitted in 10% formalin for routine histology and FISH.
- Indicate appropriate tests on requisition.
- Specimen, along with requisition, should then be placed in appropriate biohazard transport bag.
For any questions regarding specimen handling and/or collection, please contact MicroPath Laboratories, Inc. (863) 577-1147.
