Fast drying of Fine Needle Aspiration slides using a hand held fan: impact on turn around time and staining quality
2006
Using a Hand Held Fan to Speed Up Drying of Fine Needle Aspiration Slides
Sample size: 93
Commentary
Evidence: high
Author Information
Author(s): Baig Mirza A, Fathallah Lamia, Feng Jining, Husain Mujtaba, Grignon David G, Al-Abbadi Mousa A
Primary Institution: Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center
Hypothesis
Does using a hand held fan to dry Fine Needle Aspiration slides affect turnaround time and staining quality?
Conclusion
Using a hand-held fan significantly reduces the drying time of Fine Needle Aspirations without compromising staining quality.
Supporting Evidence
- The average drying time with the fan was 73 seconds compared to 200 seconds without it.
- The use of a fan resulted in a 63% reduction in drying time.
- No significant difference in staining quality was observed between the two methods.
Takeaway
Using a fan to dry slides makes them ready faster, which helps doctors get results more quickly, and the quality of the slides stays the same.
Methodology
Two mirror image air-dried smears for each pass were prepared, one with a fan and one without, and drying times were compared.
Statistical Information
P-Value
< 0.001
Statistical Significance
p < 0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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