How do I collect an FNA sample?

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ImpriMed steps for FNA collection

  1. Disinfect the skin with alcohol (70%) at the planned needle puncture site.
  2. Insert a 20-gauge needle (without syringe) into an enlarged lymph node and perform 15 - 20 aspirations using an aggressive “woodpecker style” technique.  Stop aspirating when the aspirate appears in the hub of the needle.
  3. Attach the needle to a 5 - 10 mL syringe (with at least 1 ml of air). Tilt the collection tube upside down and inject the aspirated material directly into the medium.
  4. Allow a small amount of fluid (~1/4 mL) to flush back into the needle, then gently reinject into a fluid medium to flush out the needle.
  5. Repeat the procedure multiple times to ensure all the aspirate is transferred into the media tube.  

We need at least 10 million cells to conduct the drug response predictions, so if you need to aspirate from other affected nodes please do so. There are no additional costs for additional nodes or tubes. Typically, 2 FNA tubes of adequate cellularity are required to reach 10 million cells.  

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Important Note:

If a blood vessel was lacerated during the procedure and the collection tube becomes significantly bloody, please select a different biopsy site and repeat the procedure.  Store any FNA tubes in the fridge immediately after the biopsy. DO NOT freeze samples or the transport media.We also accept fresh lymph node tissue and spleen samples (within 24 hours of collection).

Other Questions

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If the media tubes are damaged or missing something in the packaging can we get a replacement?

Please request fresh tubes on our website (Vet Portal > Request Supplies). If you need to send cells immediately, please use the serum and saline protocol from the CSU Hemapathology Lab. (Click to read more)

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I have a leukemia patient. Can you run an assay on blood?

Yes, we do run assays on blood for a leukemia patient. Please send us at least 2 mL of whole blood in an EDTA tube.

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When will I be billed? Are we billed at the same time as placing the order?

Invoices will be sent about 30 days after the service is ordered. We send the invoice to the email (billing or accounts payable) we have on file for the clinic at the start of the month for any services provided the month prior.

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How long can the media tubes be outside of that temperature before going bad?

We will send you another batch of media tubes you could use. Please make the supply request on the Vet Portal > Request Supplies page.

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How does ImpriMed predict drug responses?

Our predictions are made by artificial intelligence (AI) models trained to predict clinical outcomes from patient data inputs. Clinical outcomes collected from oncologists include reports of progressive disease, stable disease, partial response, and complete response. Patient data used as inputs by the AI models include readings from our live-cell drug sensitivity assay, flow cytometry, PARR, and patient information.Models are re-trained periodically to incorporate new data and refine performance.

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