Surgery Specimen & Lab Procedure

[lhawkins]

Our lab re-uses patient specimen containers (filled with 10% formalin). They rinse out the containers between patients and refill with 10% formalin and give them back to us to use again. Does this pose some type of cross contamination between different patient's specimens? Also anyone know how long the fomalin is good for? The containers are not labeled, so I am in the process of labeling them and need to put an expiration date on them.

Thanks

[Rob72, ASN, RN]

I think (I hope!) what you've stated is being on the simplistic side, as far as, "rinsing out", the containers. Basically, this is falling under OSHA guidelines for labelling repackaged biohazardous material. (29 CFR s 1910) http://www.cise.columbia.edu/nsec/safety/manual/07-labstandard.pdf

Expiration, I have no clue. Lab should be labelling those for you, if they contain formalin, before they leave the lab area where the reagent (formalin) is poured from it's original MSDS labeled container.

[lhawkins]

I can't believe the lab is okay with their current practices. After researching today, I have decided to forgo relabeling and just purchase sterile prefilled containers for each patient. Thanks for your help.

[Laboratorian]

I'm going to need a wash and autoclave along with dates of preparation. Technically formalin prevents cross contamination because it fixes the tissue but this is NOT proper procedure! Jesus take the wheel...I need to be a CAP inspector.