Hello Abbey, I sense your frustration. I have worked at two facilities with a flow cytometer. One place had someone who monitored the cleaning and maintenance and trained personnel on how the instrument was to be used, eg, cleaning, data storage, emergency procedures, etc. At the facility I now work, I am in charge of flow cytometry services, and here I do all monthly maintencance, and am responsible for training any who wish to use it. In both facilities, there is a PI who is supportive of insuring all who use the instruments follow proper procedures, and this is important to have. We have therfore not had the problems you describe. What I would suggest, so you have something to present to the PI responsible, is to push for having a sign up sheet for all users. This would indicate who used the instrument prior to you, or prior to anyone who sits down to use a dirty , clogged up machine. Review for patterns, and initiate a policy that if one sits down to a dirty machine, that the person whio used the instrument prior to that time is responsible for cleaning the machine out, or is put on a "list" where he/she must be monitored to insure they clean it properly (embarrassing, huh?)and stress to the PI that NOT insuring that the machine is left clean each time is costing TIME which, if he/she has any business sense knows that this equates to $$$$$$. Maybe you will get this individual to take more proactive steps in protecting the facility's expensive investment. P Echeagaray Flow Cytometry Services Southern Research Frederick Abby Allen wrote: > > Hello All! > > I am back again with a question regarding multi-user instruments (ours > is a FACSCalibur). Our institute does not believe in paying one person > to monitor the instrument (yet), so our current setup involves a monthly > rotation where each lab is responsible for the instrument. In that > month, that lab is required to run beads and do the monthly instrument > cleaning protocol. The only other cleaning that is done is by the > user. Each user is required to clean with 10-20% bleach for 10 min > followed by deionized water for 10 min. > > Guess what? This hasn't been working. I have had to do the monthly > maintenence cleaning three times over the past two weeks. I suspect > that some have not been doing their post sample run cleaning, but of > cours,e I have no way to prove that this is the case (do I?). > > To all people in similar situations: HELP - I am running out of ideas. > The FACSCalibur was purchased specifically because of its hands - off > reputation. Any suggestions on how to improve this nasty situation? I > am sick of having to clean the instrument for 45 minutes every time I > want to run samples. > > Thanks! > Abby > -- > ********************************************************************** > Abby Allen > Center for Blood Research > 800 Huntington Ave. > Boston, MA 02115 > > allen@cbr.med.harvard.edu > **********************************************************************
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