EFFECTIVE DATE: March 20, 2024
MUSCLE / NERVE / RENAL SHIPPING PROTOCOL UPDATE
MLabs has recently received several muscle specimens in glutaraldehyde and formalin fixative that have frozen in transit. Our current muscle, nerve, and renal specimen submission instructions indicate to freeze the cold pack to be used to refrigerate glutaraldehyde, formalin, and Zeus/Michel’s fixative specimens for 24 hours prior to shipping at no colder than -18 degrees C or 0 degrees F. However, with the variability of freezer temperatures and patient safety risk resulting from the potential for freezing these specimens, we are now recommending that the cold pack be stored refrigerated (2 – 8 degrees C or 36 – 46 degrees F) ahead of shipping. MLabs is working as quickly as possible to update our shipping boxes and protocols to reflect this change and to maintain fixative specimens at refrigerated temperature during transit.