In 2004 Torbay hospital made the decision to replace their old, inefficient tissue processors. They trialled all available instruments in the market, with key criteria including reliability, ease of use and reagent change. During the trial the Thermo Scientific Excelsior proved its worth and two instruments were purchased. “It was easier to use and cheaper compared to anybody else’s on the market”, commented the Laboratory Manager. “It was innovative, and with the auto rotation is very easy to use.”
South Devon’s Laboratory Manager has since commented that “Excelsior’s ease of use and maintenance makes the day easier and more controllable.” All tissue processing is done overnight and workflow is very efficient. Furthermore they always achieve their targets for turnaround times. After installing the Excelsiors in November 2004 the team at South Devon have recorded every reagent change carried out to date. They have experienced significant reduction in reagent use compared to the original processors, despite increasing daily sample throughput by almost 40 percent. It is well documented that the Excelsior can give up to 75 percent reagent savings compared to other tissue processors. In reality, South Devon has been able to go up to 14 runs before reagent rotation is required. Due to the unique alcohol quality monitoring technology, reagents are changed based on usage, block throughput and runs performed. When the change is required, alcohol 1 is simply discarded to waste and the other five alcohols automatically rotate position. Fresh alcohol is then drawn in to position 6. The simplicity of this process means a significant reduction in technologist maintenance time. It can result in several hours’ labour savings per month, as well as the benefits in terms of health and safety.
The Excelsior from Thermo Scientific has long been recognised as a class leader in tissue processing, with many important features designed to give the highest tissue quality with minimum user interaction and reagent use, and optimum reliability. In 2014 the next generation tissue processor, the Excelsior AS was launched. This updated Excelsior features an intuitive touch screen interface, improved wax tank and disposable waste wax trays, additional reaction chamber heating and improved access to reagent bottles. After over 11 years of daily use in the busy laboratory, the Excelsior ES units have proved their worth. South Devon is now looking to the future. Testament to the performance of the Excelsior ES, they recently replaced the first of the two units with a new Excelsior AS, with the second to follow in the near future. This has enabled them to maintain standardization, reduce the need for staff training on a new system and enable the rapid transfer of known protocols to the newer model without jeopardizing the quality of work. www.thermofisher.com
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