Thermo Fisher Scientific has introduced an automated solution that labels and tracks patient tissue samples on cassettes and slides as they progress through pathology laboratories.
The new solution includes the Thermo Scientific Slidemate on-demand slide printer and the Thermo Scientific Printmate automated cassette printing system.
These are said to preserve the integrity of tissue samples by removing the risk of sample mix-up, ensuring that patients receive a quick and accurate diagnosis of diseases such as cancer.
The misidentification of samples poses a risk of misdiagnosis to thousands of patients annually and can be a result of cassettes or slides being labelled incorrectly in the laboratory.
The new inclusive workflow eliminates errors caused through the manual labelling of slides and cassettes, enabling the efficient diagnosis of diseases and making safety a priority when handling patient samples, according to the company.
The Slidemate and Printmate solutions perform effective labelling to avoid the misidentification of samples taken into the laboratory.
Printmate offers fast, centralised batch printing at the workstation to automatically label cassettes and ensure that samples are identified accurately.
The printing capabilities of the instrument enable each cassette to be clearly marked with a 2D barcode and readable text.
As a result, cassettes can be archived and retrieved without any risk of label deterioration.
The instrument's collection chutes avoid sample mix-up as they can be positioned to deliver cassettes to different cut-up benches.
Slidemate prints barcodes and text directly onto microscope slides to track and identify samples.
The instrument rapidly prints permanent black type of high print quality, making the printer suitable for printing both linear and 2D barcodes, as well as having the capability to print graphics and logos if required.
The printed slide is also resistant to laboratory chemicals, protecting barcodes and text so they always remain readable, avoiding sample mix-up and misdiagnosis.
Thermo Fisher claims that the instrument generates slides at individual workstations, improving accuracy and reducing identification errors.
The complete labelling and tracking solution also includes the Checkmate verification system and the Labwriter software.
Thermo Scientific Checkmate performs automatic checks on samples to eliminate the risk of sample mix-up during batch printing at both the cut-up bench and the microtome.
The system replaces time-consuming and error-prone manual or visual checks performed on samples.
For example, audible and visual alerts provide immediate proof that samples match to avoid confusion.
By recording the full event history of the sample, users can see that each sample has been through the relevant workflow processes without any error or mix-up.
Thermo Scientific Labwriter is a single platform software solution for all labelling requirements.
The software allows users to familiarise themselves with the operation of several types of printers and enter data for large batches or produce single cassettes and slides on demand.
Giulio Cerroni, Thermo Fisher Scientific's vice-president of anatomical pathology commercial operations in Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region, said: 'The new complete Thermo Scientific labelling and tracking solution enables our customers to work more efficiently and accurately with tissue samples, making their work safer and eliminating errors that can occur through manual labelling.
'This means instrument users and patients can be confident that diseases such as cancer are being diagnosed correctly and as rapidly as possible,' added Cerroni.
