Frozen Sections

Frozen Sections (last updated 31 Oct 2011)

By prior arrangement a frozen section service is operated from Maidstone, supporting operations at Maidstone and Kent & Sussex hospitals.

• Frozen sections must be pre-booked by phoning the Histology secretaries. Unless something unexpected turns up during surgery, which is quite uncommon, the laboratory requires 48 hours prior notice. This is to ensure availability of key lab staff, a reporting consultant and necessary equipment (N.B. the laboratory only has one cryostat and it could be out of action)
• The sample must be placed in a dry container and transferred to the laboratory as soon as it is available. The information on the request form and sample container needs to be completed in the same way as any other sample (patient identification cannot be compromised under any circumstances).
• For consistency, irrespective of theatre, the samples should addressed as:

•  Accessing the department

- For Maidstone theatres the department is accessed by going to microbiology reception (next door to pharmacy on ground floor of EEMU corridor).

- For theatres on other sites the Department can be accessed directly via the pharmacy/microbiology/cellular pathology loading bay (see site plan). Cellular Pathology is on the left of the bay as you enter it.

In all cases the sample must be handed to a member of laboratory staff and informed that it is an urgent frozen section. Under no circumstances should these samples be simply placed in sample in-trays.