Specimen Handling and Transport Instructions

UCMC Onsite Instructions:

• Collect specimens per standarad collection procedure and send to the laboratory immediately during business hours.
  • Specimens collected in the ORs after hours/weekends/holidays are put into a standard container, filled with 10% neutral buffered formalin (must submerge the specimen in formalin - 10-20x the volume), recorded in the logbook on the unit and put into the holding refrigerator until the next business day. 
• Any specimen that requires microbiology culture must be sent directly to the Microbiology Lab first. Surgical Pathology is not a sterile field and does not have collection kits to take samples for micro.
• Biopsy specimens should go direclty into 10% neutral buffered formalin.
• Resections should be sent fresh.
  • amputated limbs should be wrapped in a sleeve and placed into a doubled clear bag with a biohazard label.
  • resections too large for standard sealed container should be placed into a large basin, and placed into a clear bag with a biohazard label.
• Intraoperative consultatons (frozens) and tissue for lymphoma work-up should be sent fresh immedately to the laboratory. The OR must call the lab, at ext. 4-1975, prior to sending the specimen.
• Tissue for flow cytometry, usually in conjunction with request for lymphoma work-up, should be placed into RPMI.
• Specimens of potential evidence should be hand delivered directly to Surgical Pathology with the Chain of Custody form.
  • These specimens are NOT to be sent via pneumatic tube station, placed on the dumbwaiter/lift, or brought to the Lab Service Center.
  • If a specimen of potential evidence is collected after hours/weekends/holidays, the Hospital On Call Administrator (HOA) should be contacted at pager # 7500 to deliver the specimen to Surgical Pathology.
• Specimens for immunofluorescence should be placed directly into Zeus or Michel's transport media.
• Specimens for electron microscopy should be placed directly into Gluteraldehyde or Karnovsky's fixative.
• If tissue is required for research purposes, this must be obtained from the Surgical Pathology Laboratory after the specimen has been examined for diagnostic purposes. No samples may be taken from any specimen prior to being examined in the Surgical Pathology Laboratory unless there is explicit exemption in the IRB or the tissue is "normal" and otherwise would not be submitted to Pathology for evaluation. Please contact the Human Tissue Resource Center (HTRC) with research related questions. Human Tissue Resource Center – an OSRF Core Facility (uchicago.edu)

UCMC Offsite Instructions:

• Specimens should be placed directly into 10% neutral buffered formalin and sent via courier to the Hyde Park campus.
• Intraoperative consultations and lymphoma work-ups are NOT AVAILABLE services to offsite locations.

UCMedlabs Outreach Instructions:

• Contact UCMedLabs or Pathology Client Services at 773-702-8287 in order to set-up a Client Account.
• Once an account is made a requisition form unique to your institution, including your client code, will be sent to you with instructions on how to package and send materials to UCM.
• Specimens such as renal, muscle, nerve, heart, etc. have explicit collection and shipping instructions/options based on the geographic location of the outside faciltity in relation to the UCM Hyde Park lab location (50 mile radius).