ASCP HT case studies
ASCP HT · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Histotechnologist (HT) credential is a professional certification for laboratory personnel who prepare tissue for microscopic examination - from specimen accessioning and fixation through processing, embedding, microtomy, routine hematoxylin and eosin staining, special stains, immunohistochemistry, and the quality and safety systems that surround that work. Candidates are typically histology technicians or technologists with bench experience who want formal recognition of their technical competence, and students completing an accredited histotechnology program who are preparing to enter the field. The ASCP HT case studies are 5 cases and about 4,633 words.
1A Breast Excision That Missed the Formalin
A 62-year-old woman has a 1.8 cm ill-defined mass excised from the right breast at 14:10. The specimen reaches the gross room at 15:25 in a sterile container, wrapped in saline-moistened gauze - no formalin has been added.
883 words, about 4 min2One Processor, Three Tissues, Three Failures
An overnight run is loaded at 18:00 with a single basket containing: (a) a 1.5 mm-diameter liver needle core in a biopsy pad; (b) a 1.2 × 0.8 cm shave of plantar skin with a thick keratin layer; and (c) a 2 × 1.5 cm piece of omental fat. The only program available on the processor is: NBF 1 h at 40 °C, 70%/80%/95% ethanol 1 h each, absolute ethanol 1 h × 2, xylene 1 h × 2, paraffin 1 h × 2 at 60 °C - all at ambient pressure.
914 words, about 5 min3A Silver Stain That Went Black Everywhere
A 2.0 cm renal core biopsy is processed and sectioned at 2 µm onto charged slides. The Jones methenamine silver (JMS) run uses a 60 °C oven for 45 minutes; the working silver solution was prepared six weeks ago and is stored in an amber bottle on the shelf.
898 words, about 4 min4A 4 mm Lung Core and Six Requests
A 4 mm lung core biopsy from a never-smoker with a 3.1 cm mass arrives for reflex testing. The pathologist requests: H&E, TTF-1, p40, ALK (D5F3), PD-L1 (22C3), and EGFR/ALK molecular testing.
977 words, about 5 min5Three Litres of Formalin on the Floor
At 09:20 a 4 L jug of 10% neutral buffered formalin tips over in the grossing room; roughly 3 L spreads across the floor and part of it runs into a floor drain grate. Two technologists are grossing at the bench; the room has 12 air changes per hour and the downdraft bench is running.
961 words, about 5 min