Device and method for cross-referencing

• US 9,691,043 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2007
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leica Biosystems Melbourne Pty. Ltd. (Danaher Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Leica Biosystems Melbourne Pty. Ltd. (Danaher Corporation)
• Inventors: Gurney, Phillip Clyde Roberts
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Jonathan K
• Application Number:
  US12/296,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20090210254A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,730 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/36 Embedding or analogous mounting of samples
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00732 Identification of carriers, materials or components in automatic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1413 1D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/60 relating to pathologies

Abstract

A sample, which is embedded in a paraffin block, is placed on a tissue cassette (22) which carries a label (20) which may a bar code. When the sample is to be processed, the cassette is given to a microtome operator who scans the label (20) with, for example, a bar code reader (4). Scanning causes information to be displayed on a screen (12) and the operator verifies that what is on the screen matches what was on the label. The paraffin block is then placed in a microtome chuck (26) and sections are cut from the block. Concurrently with, or prior to sectioning, a number of slides (18) are dispensed (2) and are printed with a label (16) so that the sections can be mounted thereon. The slide label (16) is related to the cassette label (20). If the operator does not verify that the information displayed on the screen matches the information on the cassette label (20) and/or does not place the paraffin block in the microtome chuck (26) within an allocated time interval after scanning the cassette label (20), dispensing and labelling of slides (18) and/or operation of the microtome is prevented. This ensures accurate identification of samples within a laboratory as it does allow the operator the opportunity lose track of which samples were being processed.

Claims

1. A method of processing a tissue holder, the method comprising:

holding a plurality of tissue holders in a tissue holder dispenser of a device further comprising a printer which applies identification information to a tissue holder from the plurality of tissue holders, which is released from the tissue holder dispenser onto the printer;

identifying information of a tissue support with a computer by scanning the information from the tissue support using a tangible reader;

outputting data related to the identified information of the tissue support on a screen of the computer;

performing at least one of;

receiving user input via a user input interface which indicates whether the identified information attached to the tissue support correlates with the output data and detecting by a sensor presence of the tissue support in a holding assembly with related identification information;

in response to the user input indicating that the identified information attached to the tissue support does not correlate with the output data within a predetermined time interval or in response to the detected related identification information not correlating with the output data within the predetermined time interval, automatically halting executing operations of a computer-executed program which performs printing by the printer and which guides processing of a tissue provided on the tissue support comprising stopping the release of the tissue holder from the tissue holder dispenser onto the printer; and

in response to the user input indicating that the identified information attached to the tissue support correlates with the output data within the predetermined time interval or in response to the detected related identification information correlating with the output data within the predetermined time interval, releasing the tissue holder from the tissue holder dispenser onto the printer of the device which applies the identification information to the released tissue holder.

2. The method according claim 1, wherein the identification information is at least a portion of the information provided on the tissue support and identified by the computer.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identified information comprises at least one of:

a tissue type, a special instruction for a tissue support, and a grossing description.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a number of the tissue holders needed for the sectioning based on the identified information;

determining by the computer the number of the tissue holders prepared;

in response to the number of tissue holders prepared corresponding to the determined number of the tissue holders, proceeding with the processing of the tissue, which comprises sectioning the tissue into a number of pieces corresponding to the determined number of the tissue holders; and

in response to the number of tissue holders prepared not corresponding to the determined number of the tissue holders, displaying an error by the computer and stopping further processing of the tissue.

10. The method according to claim 9, generating holder information for each of the tissue holders based on the identified information, wherein the holder information comprises at least one of a cutting instruction, a slide instructions, a test type, a holder type, and a deadline.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the allocated time interval is defined by a first time point and a second time point,

in response to the user interaction occurring before the first time point is reached, automatically halting the executing operations of a computer-executed program which performs said outputting and which guides processing of a tissue provided on the tissue support,

in response to the user interaction occurring after the second time point is reached, automatically halting the executing operations of a computer-executed program which performs said outputting and which guides processing of a tissue provided on the tissue support, and

in response to the user interaction verifying that the identification information attached to the tissue support correlates with the output data after the first time point and before the second time point, printing the identification information and attaching the printed identification information to the tissue holder.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interaction comprises placing the tissue support in a holding assembly.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising setting the time interval by a user by defining the first time point and the second time point and wherein based on the verifying, controlling operations of a printer which prints the identification information for the tissue holder and controlling operations of a sectioning section configured to cut the tissue provided in the tissue support into microtomes for a plurality of tissue holders including the tissue holder.

3. A method of processing a tissue holder, the method comprising:

identifying information of a tissue support by scanning the identification information by a tangible reader;

displaying on a screen the identified information of the tissue support;

receiving user input which indicates whether the displayed information corresponds with information on the tissue support;

in response to the user input indicating that the displayed information corresponds with the information on the tissue support, generating by the computer identification information for a tissue holder, wherein the identification information relates to at least a portion of the identified information of the tissue support;

electronically communicating between the computer and a sectioning station of a microtome, wherein the sectioning station is configured to cut a tissue on the tissue support into a plurality of tissue samples to be placed onto respective tissue holders comprising the tissue holder;

in response to the tissue support not being transferred to the sectioning station within a predetermined time interval, automatically stopping executing operations of a computer-executed program which performs said displaying and said generating of the identification information, and which guides processing by the microtome of the tissue provided on the tissue support; and

in response to the tissue support being transferred to the section station within the predetermined time interval, the section station cuts the tissue into the plurality of tissue samples and the identification information for the tissue holder is generated,

in response to the verification and the tissue support being transferred to the section station, a tissue holder dispenser dispenses the tissue holder and a printer attaches the generated identification information to the dispensed tissue holder.

4. A system of processing a tissue holder, the system comprising:

a first device comprising;

a tissue holder dispenser configured to hold a plurality of tissue holders and configured to release the plurality of tissue holders, one at a time; and

a transfer component configured to transfer identification information to a tissue holder from the plurality of tissue holders, which is released from the tissue holder dispenser onto the transfer component;

a second device comprising;

a tangible reader which scans an identifier providing information associated with a tissue support for sectioning at a sectioning station;

a display which displays the read information for verification;

an input unit which receives user input related to the verification; and

a processor which automatically stops executing operations of a computer-executed program which provides instructions for performing said displaying and which guides processing of a tissue provided on the tissue support by the first device if the user input indicates that the information associated with the tissue support is not verified as correlating with the displayed data related to the identified tissue support within an allocated time interval,

wherein the processor further electronically communicates via network with the tissue holder dispenser which releases the tissue holder and the transfer component which transfers at least a portion of the information provided on the identifier of the tissue support onto the released tissue holder, and

wherein, in response to the user input indicating that the information associated with the tissue support is verified as correlating with the displayed data related to the identified tissue support within the allocated time interval, the processor controls the tissue holder dispense to release the tissue holder and controls the transfer component to transfer said at least the portion of the information provided on the identifier of the tissue support onto the released tissue holder.

6. The device according to claim 4, wherein the identification of information of the tissue support comprises instructions for processing tissue that is to be disposed on the tissue holder.

7. The device according to claim 4, wherein the device is integrated with the sectioning station.

5. A microtome system comprising:

a microtome comprising;

a tissue support clamp configured to hold a tissue support; and

a sectioning station configured to cut a tissue provided on the tissue support into a plurality of slices, which are to be placed on a plurality of tissue holders;

a device comprising;

a tangible reader which scans an identifier providing information associated with a tissue support for sectioning at a sectioning station;

a display which displays the read information for verification;

an input unit which receives user input related to the verification; and

a processor which automatically stops executing operations of a computer-executed program which comprises instructions to perform said displaying, and which guides processing of the microtome of the tissue provided on the tissue support thereby preventing application of the identification information to the tissue holder of the plurality of tissue holders if the tissue support is not transferred to the sectioning station within an allocated time interval;

wherein;

in response to the tissue support being transferred to the section station within the allocated time interval, the sectioning station cuts the tissue into the plurality of slices and the processor further electronically communicates with a transfer component configured to transfer at least a portion of the read identification information to the tissue holder if the user input verifies the displayed information,

the processor executed the computer-executed program which generates a visual representation of a customized workflow process of the processing of the tissue,

the processor executes the computer executed program which based on the read identifier, generates and displays on the display instructions for cutting and processing the tissue and which further generates a number of the tissue holders needed to perform the processing and sequentially requests verification of each of the tissue holders needed for the processing of the tissue,

the allocated time interval is defined by a first time point and a second time point,

in response to the user input occurring before the first time point is reached, automatically stopping the executing operations of the computer-executed program which performs said displaying and which guides the processing of the tissue provided on the tissue support,

in response to the user interaction occurring after the second time point is reached, automatically stopping the executing operations of the computer-executed program which performs said printing of the identified information for the tissue holder and which guides the processing of the tissue provided on the tissue support, and

in response to the user interaction verifying that the identification information attached to the tissue support correlates with the output data after the first time point and before the second time point, printing the identification information and attaching the printed identification information to the tissue holder.

11. The device according to claim 5, wherein the information displayed by the display and verified by the user via the user input unit comprises a number of tissue holders needed and a description of the tissue support.

12. The device according to claim 5, wherein the information displayed by the display and verified by the user via the user input unit comprises type of tissue holders and type of tests to be performed.

13. The device according to claim 5, wherein the processor executes the computer-executed program which generates a visual representation of a customized workflow process of the processing of the tissue.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the processor executes the computer executed program which based on the read identifier, generates and displays on the display instructions for cutting and processing the tissue and which further generates a number of the tissue holders needed to perform the processing and sequentially requests verification of each of the tissue holders needed for the processing of the tissue.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the processor locks the computer executed program if a wrong tissue holder is provided to the reader.