54 Reducing Preparation Times of Frozen Section Biopsies. (11th January 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Turkalj, Jennifer; Lopez, Jeffrey; Portoulas, George; Hoffman, Michele; McDevitt, Meghan; Mutzabaugh, Tom; Kelly, Kimberly; Martinez, Klancie; Stone, Kristen; Brown, Karen; Walsh, Sean; Mutzabaugh, Elyse; Bork, Julie; Stuart, Susan; Blint, Brittany; Ho, Chak-Sum
• Is Part Of: American journal of clinical pathology. Volume 149(2018)Supplement 1
• Page Start: S24
• Page End: S24
• Publication Date: 2018-01-11
• Subjects: Diagnosis, Laboratory -- Periodicals; Pathology -- Periodicals; 616.07
• DOI: 10.1093/ajcp/aqx116.053
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0002-9173

Abstract

Abstract: During organ procurement, each minute is critical. Turnaround time from receipt of the biopsy to read time may cause unnecessary delay in recovery. Occasionally, the recovering surgeon will delay organ recovery until the biopsy report has been issued. Due to the critical need for viable organs for transplantation, the Center for Organ Recovery and Education's (CORE) laboratory personnel have implemented steps to reduce turnaround time from receipt of biopsy until pathology review. CORE's laboratory is cross-trained to perform frozen section biopsy preparation for kidney and liver. Implementation of a cryo-embedder was the first step to reduce turnaround time. The Peltier element within the cryostat takes approximately 10 minutes to freeze sections. Using a face-down embedding technique, the cryo-embedder freezes the biopsy within 45–60 seconds, thereby reducing the process by up to nine minutes. The use of an automated stainer permits time for last-minute review and preparation of the reader. Implementation of digital pathology for remote evaluation permits the pathologists to evaluate and report, leading to overall time reduction. Additionally, improvements of processing technique by the CORE laboratory have impacted overall turnaround time. In the first quarter of 2016, average cutting time from receipt of sample until completion averaged 14 minutes. By the fourth quarter of 2016, average cutting time reduced to 10 minutes. Average total process time for the first quarter of 2016 was 23 minutes. Average total process time at the end of the fourth quarter of 2016 was 19 minutes, a reduction of 4 minutes, demonstrating reduction due to increased proficiency of personnel. The implementation of frozen section processing began in the second quarter of 2015, with turnaround times averaging 42.5 minutes. By end of the fourth quarter of 2016, the turnaround time averaged 25.5 minutes, resulting in a 40% overall reduction.