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- Consumables
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- Anatomic Pathology
- Mohs Lab Solutions
- Featured
- Resources
- About Us
Avantik is committed to supporting the community by providing relevant articles in the Histopathology and Mohs fields. Check back here often for new articles of interest. If you have suggestions for topics, please Contact Us with your recommendations.
Author: Clifford M. Chapman MS, HTL (ASCP) QIHC
Prevent equipment failure before it occurs and ensure that your histology workflow never stops. Read about the benefits of routine PM service at each stage of the histology process in our 7-Part series.
Author: Clifford M. Chapman MS, HTL (ASCP) QIHC
The production of finished quality microscope slides in the histology laboratory are the result of a culmination of many tasks. The initial task of performing the surgical grossing of tissue is perhaps the most important, as any imperfections introduced will carry throughout the laboratory processes and appear in the final slide. Thus, it is paramount to utilize the best tools available in performing the surgical grossing tasks, such that the appearance of the tissue is optimal within the final microscope slide.
Author: Clifford M. Chapman MS, HTL (ASCP) QIHC
The histologists goal is to produce finished microscope slides of the highest quality possible. This is possible only if you start with the best microscope slide suited for your laboratory. Read about your choices in microscope slides and how to select the best one for your laboratory.
Author: Clifford M. Chapman MS, HTL (ASCP) QIHC
There is an inextricable relationship between equipment, supplies and the workflow metrics of a histology lab. Learn how a lab’s workflow can suffer as a result of failures in either equipment or when consumables run out, such as less time on improving more complex processes, less time focusing on quality over production or cultivating the team. Learn the various areas a laboratory can address to prevent and recover from equipment failures or shortages of consumables.
Author: Tom Ewing, Avantik
As a general rule, it is best to keep lab equipment clean by wiping it down with a disinfectant and 95% alcohol after each day of use. The following is a brief cleaning guide for cryostats, stainers, microtomes, tissue processors, embedding centers, coverslippers, fume hoods and printers.
Author: Janet Minshew, HTL(ASCP)HT
If your laboratory is inspected and accredited by the College of American Pathologists, it is important to refer to the most current requirements for disinfection of your cryostats. According to the 2018 CAP accreditation checklist, “The cryostat must be defrosted and decontaminated by wiping all exposed surfaces with a tuberculocidal disinfectant”. Read the full protocol for all the steps to apply.
Read the Disinfection Protocol
Author: Tom Ewing, Avantik
Poor sectioning is usually the result of an issue with the bladeholder or specimen head assembly. Here are a few quick tips to help troubleshoot an issue prior to requesting service.