Re-incubating a gel card??

[RR1]

I am a little puzzled at how often you need to re-incubate a gel/bead cassette. We are only a small laboratory, processing approx 3000 group & antibody screens and doing 500 AHG cross matches a year plus 25 panels excluding NEQAS testing. The AHG cassette is the most likely one to be re-incubated a max of 3 times for cross matching (3x2 Unit cross matches), which I would have thought is fine.

So how often are you re-incubating your cassettes?

Steve

Theoretically somebody could use a card up to six times (if this card was used for an 'extra' unit or whatever). As I recall the Diamed analyser ( called Ortho Provue in the U.S- I think), doesnt allow a card to be re-used if spare wells are still available and closed . Would the reason for this be that these have then exceeeded storage temperature by being brought up to 37'C during incubation??

My recollection of the analyser is a bit vague, please feel freee to correct me!

[swede]

The ProVue does allow a card to be reused if it is still closed. As long as the foil has not been removed, the card is good until its expiration. QC works on these cards, and we have never seen a problem with reincubating cards.....we have been on manual gel for 9 years.....we just started using our ProVue and have seen no problems so far.