Page 235 - Zoo Animal Learning and Training

Chapter 12 Laboratory Skills 219

become contaminated with use. They also tend to pre- To learn about each instrument in the laboratory you
cipitate. These make the stains useless and can actually can find and read the user manuals. These manuals con-
cause misdiagnosis to occur. To take care of them they tain important information such as directions for use,
need to be either refreshed or changed out completely. maintenance, and trouble shooting. The assistant can
Coplin jars are heavy glass jars with tight‐fitting lids help the team by maintaining the daily, weekly, monthly,
which are used for most stains. They allow you to see the or yearly maintenance on each piece of equipment in
interior without losing the stain solution to evaporation. the lab. Setting up a maintenance log is a great way to
Hematology stain sets consist of three solutions that need keep track of what has been done to what machine and
to be replenished to maintain a depth to completely by whom. It is also a place to log control results and
cover the slide. This is usually based upon the fixative needs to be readily accessible and near the instrument in
solution. It is first to become low and not cover the entire question.
slide surface. Dump the orange and purple stains out to
match the level of the fixative and then add back fresh of
each from the source bottles. Usually the stains are Learning Exercise
refreshed once and then changed out entirely to main-
tain clear stains. Wash and dry the Coplin jars thoroughly Determine how you will proceed to learn about
and then add fresh stain from the source containers. the stains and test kits available in a veterinary
Make sure the labels are updated with the dates they were facility. Perhaps starting a lab protocol note-
refreshed and when they were changed out. If precipi- book, or putting instructions and maintenance
tates develop in a stain they can be removed by allowing information on an index card and clipping them
the stain to flow through filter paper into a clean con- together. Whatever your preferred method of
tainer. Wear gloves and work on a non‐porous tray. It is a learning is, use it to get this information firmly
messy process and anything the stain touches will remain understood.
that color! To avoid evaporation and keep out moisture,
always recap stain bottles after use.
Laboratory Log Book
Staining Protocol

Often, auxiliary patient result log books are kept in the
The hematology and cytology stains are a three‐step pro- laboratory. Some laboratories have one central note-
cess and are often referred to as dip quick stains. The book in which testing information is kept, especially if
first solution is an alcohol fixative and is usually light using paper patient files. This requires laboratory results
blue or clear, the second solution is reddish orange, and to be recorded in two places – the patient file and in the
the final stain is dark purple, each in its own Coplin jar. laboratory log book – as a way to capture the results if
It is quick because the slide is dipped into each Coplin someone forgot to write in one or the other. Test results
jar for 5–10 dips depending on the manufacturer. It is are entered into the patient file manually for some tests.
advisable to have two set of stains, one for hematology Other tests can be printed out by the machine and added
preparation and one for cytology preparation. The to the file. If the veterinary practice uses management
cytology set will have to be changed more regularly software, the results from the various analyzers go auto-
because they become contaminated quickly. matically from the instrument to the patient’s electronic
Each lab will be stocked with test kits and strips, as file. However, there will still be test results that will have
well as miscellaneous equipment that are used for a to be typed into the electronic patient file.
number of tests. Reagents and test strips are used for the When writing in the results learn how they are recorded.
variety of tests and for some pieces of equipment. Help Many results have a specific unit of measurement. For
out by checking the expiration date, and inventory example a packed cell volume (PCV) is recorded as a
reorder points on a daily basis. Place the order for more percentage and total protein is recorded as g/dL. The
as needed. Help store the reagents properly when new units are always recorded with the numeric value of the
comes in. Keep them tightly capped to avoid moisture in test. The lab will most likely have a chart of normal refer-
the air from contaminating the chemicals and store ence ranges, if so they too should be included in the
them per the manufacturer’s recommended tempera- manual entry. Enclose normal reference ranges in paren-
ture. Everyday supplies include microscope slides, cover- theses and to the right of the test result. Reference ranges
slips, pipettes, test tubes, and sample containers. These vary by laboratory and instrument. Some test results are
items need to be available at all times. Learn the proper not numeric but are positive or negative often indicated
name for each item, how it is used, and where they are by a - or – sign. It is imperative that all test results are
stored. Help the team by keeping them in stock by pay- recorded in all the places possible. If they are run but not
ing attention to the re‐order points. recorded, they weren’t run! This costs the clinic time,