Laboratory Equipment For Histology And Cytology

Histology and cytology are two important branches of science and are connected to both medical and biology laboratories. There is a wide range of laboratory equipment for histology and cytology and the most common names are rotary microtomes, Floatation Water Baths, and Catheters. Below are some basic discussions of histology and cytology lab equipment along with the usages and precautions. 

Laboratory Equipment for Histology and Cytology

Histology is the study of the microscopic anatomy of tissues. It’s also a science and is often used in medical and biology labs. In addition, histology laboratory equipment is the instruments that help to examine and prepare tissues. Microtomes generate thin tissue slices while tissue processors prepare tissue samples automatically for study. Cryostats keep the sample frozen. 

Histology laboratory equipment varies based on type and design. For example, microtomes can be radial, rotary, or vibrational. Other considerations are the thickness of slices the machine can make and the adjustability of the thickness. In terms of slide labelers, some do barcodes while some do text, print logos, or even more than label types. 

The histology lab equipment aids in the preparation of various samples required for analysis that vary in speeds and capacities. Therefore choosing the right lab equipment for histology depends on the lab volumes. Even the lab instrument that controls the sample temperature also comes in various temperature settings and times to allot to set the desired temperatures.

HMT-2260 Manual Rotary Microtome

The manual rotary microtone is a common piece of equipment for histology labs for sectioning of paraffin-embedded tissue. This machine meets the whole microtomy needs of any standard histology lab. The design of rotary microtome varies largely depending on the brand and model. Some microtome machine comes with smooth counter-balanced hand wheels to give better freedom of control while limiting fatigue. Some models also have universal cassette block holders and self-contained levels to deliver increased versatility and allow them to adjust from multiple angles for various embedding or tissue demands. 

Even some rotary microtone come with knife holders that can be used as high-profile microtome blades or low-profile microtome blades.

Tissue Floatation Water Bath

A water bath or flotation bath is a midway step between trimming paraffin sections and putting them on slides. Generally, attaching paraffin ribbons on slides doesn’t work. Instead, it needs to be given a warm bath so the tissue can smooth out before inserting it on a glass slide. It also ensures wrinkle removal and folds before placing sections on the slide. 

Paraffin Dispenser

Paraffin dispensers are usually used in anatomy and histopathology forensic medicine labs, particularly where the wax-embedded blocks or modules are prepared. Commercial paraffin wax is the most common wax used in histology labs. 

Some modern dispensers use microprocessor-based heat adjustment, control, and pointer circuits. Histologists heat paraffin reservoir wax using higher wattage elements maintaining ±1 °C temperature precision inside of the reservoir. 

Typically the paraffin dispenser can meet the large volume needs of the histology lab as it contains molten paraffin available all the time. The paraffin dispenser is commonly used for instruction, research, and experimentation in technical schools and universities. 

Paraffin Block Trimmer

In general, the wax block trimmer is used in histology lab equipment to trim the wax block surface or remove excess paraffin from embedding tissue cassettes. This lab equipment comes in a compact tabletop design and a 9-inch width to allow it to fit any laboratory easily. It also allows to set the heat between room temperature and 99 degrees C to melt away the excess paraffin easily. The fully digital display of the paraffin block trimmer retains the temperature in a power outage. 

Slide Dryer

The slide dryer is particularly intended for dry and heat tissue slides. Comes in completely microprocessor controlled, and the slide dryer is placed at a 45-degree angle for better handling and warning. It also dries slides quickly in a temp-controlled environment. 

Cytology Laboratory Equipment List

Catheters

A catheter is a type of tube that is attached to the bladder and allows urine to drain freely. It comes in a flexible design to unfill the bladder and collects urine in a drainage bag. In general, a doctor or nurse inserts urinary catheters. The other common use of catheters is resting the bladder following the urinary retention episode, and resting the bladder after surgery. 

The catheter is typically left open-ended to let drainage into a toilet or connected to a bag for urine collection. The other end of the catheter is guided toward the urethra until entering the bladder and starts flowing the urine. After stopping the flow of urine, the user can remove the catheter. Remember, you must use a new catheter every time. 

Defibrillators

This device sends a shock to the heart to return to a normal heartbeat. This cytology laboratory equipment is used to prevent an arrhythmia which is an uneven heartbeat that can be either too fast or too slow. 

If anyone’s heart stops suddenly, applying the defibrillators can aid start the beat again. There are various types of defibrillators out there that work in various ways. For example, automated external defibrillators are used in many public spaces to save patients who are suffering from cardiac arrest. Many untrained bystanders also use this equipment in case of emergency. 

The other type of defibrillators can also support to prevention of the sudden death of people who have a higher risk of life-threatening arrhythmia.

Disposable gloves

The disposable gloves are handy instruments for most types of laboratories including cytologic and histologic laboratories. This equipment helps keep infection and germs from spreading to humans. Disposable gloves come in various types including latex gloves, nitrile gloves, polythene gloves, and vinyl gloves. 

While choosing disposable gloves, make sure it is easy to deform, have strong toughness, and come in an anti-skid design. It should also be oilproof and waterproof as well as alkaline resistant. 

Microscope slides

The microscope slides are usually used for the microscopic investigation of cells and tissue sections from suspensions, specimen preparation, and archiving.  A Graticule slide is a type of microscope slide that is designed with a grid of lines to allow the object’s size seen under magnification. 

Blood pressure monitors

A blood pressure monitor is used to measure blood pressure in cytology labs or other laboratories. It’s made of an inflatable cuff that is wrapped around the arm and level roughly with the heart. It also has a monitoring device that measures the pressure off the cuff. The blood pressure monitoring device usually measures two pressures including diastolic and systolic.

Needle

Needles are used in cytology labs for the performance of aspiration biopsies. It mostly comes in 1.5-inch lengths and the gauge ranges from 22 to 27.  The needle is also used to collect a sample of a lesion for microscopic examination. This cytology lab device allows rapid diagnosis of tissue and is minimally invasive without preserving its histological architecture.

Final Words

In the end, you have some laboratory equipment for cytology and histology to perform a wide range of examinations and diagnoses. The cytology and histology laboratory usually provides services like examining tissues and diagnosing malignant and premalignant lesions.