New equipment purchased through donor generosity is helping Longs Peak Hospital’s pathology laboratory meet the rising demand for its services. In 2019, the lab saw a 38% increase over 2018 in the number of pathology specimens processed.
To handle the increase, philanthropic dollars were applied to procure equipment that reduces specimen processing time. The new equipment is a slide oven, and it speeds the drying time of slides. To prepare a tissue section for pathologic analysis, a warm-water bath is used to relax and smooth the tissue before it is mounted on a slide. The slide then requires time to dry before it can be stained. The new oven reduces the drying wait time by about 30 minutes.
“The slide oven helps us continue to provide the level of service our community has become accustomed to,” says Diana Krick, the hospital’s laboratory manager. “Furthermore, the oven’s consistent heating mechanism improves the quality of special staining techniques used to enable better visualization of certain cells under the microscope.”
Through the generosity of our donors, the faster delivery of high-quality slides is resulting in improved patient care every day.
