PROBLEM CAUSE PREVENTION

Microchatter around Excessive dehydration • Process small & large tissues

edges of tissue on separately;
small biopsy • control dehydration time
specimen • ↓ exposure time to dehydrating
agents

Poor/absent nuclear underdehydration • complete fixation

staining in H&E • ↑ dehydration time

Processor: (+) clearing agent • Ensure no condensation in the

in paraffin, too much heat or processor (fixative or alcohol);
mechanical problems • No mechanical problems
• Well maintained reagent rotation
• Heat paraffin only

Tissue inadvertently Open processors dry up • If tissue is fixed, morphology can be

desiccated tissue accidentally recovered & diagnosis rendered

Tissue inadvertent- Open processors dry up • If in paraffin, blot off wax w/ paper
ly desiccated tissue accidentally towels & soak overnight in
rehydrating sol’n* or Sandison rgt &
reprocess as usual.

Tissues dried prior Problems w/ processors • Use Anderson-Gordon rgt.

to wax infiltration
• Begin reprocessing in dehydration

Inadequate Processing time may not be • Fatty tses. should be thin (2-3mm)
processing of fatty enough to process fats
• acetone or isopropanol should be
tissues
inserted as solvents before the final
100%ETOH
• Chloroform or 1,1,1-trichloroethane
 as transition solvent

Hard, dense tissues Tough keratin component of • Soften dense tissues w/ 4% phenol
certain tissues
• Or add phenol in 1st 100% ETOH or
all baths

Xylene turns cloudy Xylene with excess water • Replace xylene immediately

Tissue w/ Inadequate processing • Cut fatty sections thinly(gross)

soft/mushy centers (thick/ fatty sections)
• Ensure complete fixation
(embedding)
• Deparaffinize (xylene), refix then
reprocess

Incorrect tissue Special orientation not • Use orientation markers

orientation indicated
• Write special intructions on gross
(embedding)
worksheet

Tissue carry-overs Dirty forceps Clean forceps by heating then wiping on

(floaters/puck-ups) tissue paper between specimen

Tissue cross Opening all cassettes at one Open one at a time

contamination time & leaving them open
during embedding

Tissue not Tissue not pressed down • Press down uniformly & firmly
embedded at the properly or uniformly (if
• Work at an even, rapid rate so all
same level many)
pieces get embedded at same level
before wax hardens
Tissue pieces May have been overlooked • Record # of tse pieces per cassette
missing from the during embedding
block