TISSUE DISSECTION:

We used the system to facilitate dissection of frozen human postmortem brain slices for extraction of protein for proteomic research. Because we were trying to select specific regions without damaging the rest of each small specimen, it was important for us to maintain the integrity of the specimen during dissection. Working in a lab at normal room temperature, we found that a constant temperature of -18C was ideal for this work (-20 was too cold, and warmer than -18 made the tissue start to melt). It would have been impossible to maintain such a precise temperature outside of a cryostat without the cold table. It was immensely easier to perform the dissection on the cold table, and of course also much easier to wipe down the cold table than to clean a cryostat.

We were using a cannula to perform punch biopsies of the tissue, and the -18C temperature kept the tissue sufficiently solid to do the work but sufficiently soft for the punch biopsies. We did find it helpful to surround the specimen with a little dry ice (right on the plate) to cool the air in order to prevent condensation so that the features of the specimen surface could be seen clearly. We would recommend the cold table to any scientist who needs to dissect frozen tissue in any precise manner. Anyone who was doing this regularly would find it an excellent investment because of the time and trouble it saves.

MEDICAL LABORATORY:

Department of histology in a major hospital needed a peltier cold plate to freeze tissue samples for examination.

The Histology Division of the Department of Pathology places tissue samples from biopsies into a small block and fills it with wax. Several of these samples are then placed on one of the AHP-1200CP thermoelectric cold plates (Peltier cold plates) to "pull the heat" out of the wax so it gets really hard. The near-frozen samples are then shaved down to the desired section (slice) using a Microtome (in picture). The thin sections are then placed in the water bath to warm up the remaining wax in order to remove it and then place the section on a slide for examination.

NeoGraft FUE Hair Transplant:

Our customer calls the ICE-160 Electric Ice Trays a “dramatic improvement”. He uses several in his medical practice. From our customer:

“We use the ICE-160 during the quality-control and graft-storage portion of our minimally-invasive hair transplant procedures. While hair transplant grafts are outside of the body, they are fragile and susceptible to damage from dehydration and other factors as they are separated from their blood supply.
During this delicate phase of the hair transplant, the harvested follicular unit micrografts are now in a special physiologic holding solution at 4deg C using the thermoelectric ICE-160 before and after being counted and sorted and while they are awaiting implantation. This is a dramatic improvement over the use of traditional graft coolers using frozen water which need to be swapped out often during a long NeoGraft FUE hair transplant procedure. We are confident that this method of graft storage ensures maximum graft viability and helps us maintain exceptional results for our hair transplant patients. The solid metal surface is simple to clean and disinfect after each procedure. Thank you for this great addition to our practice!”

Hair Replacement Procedure: Follicular Unit Transplant/Extraction (FUT/FUE)

A group of physicians pioneered a hair replacement procedure using TECA’s AHP-1200CPV Cold/Hot Plate. The AHP-1200CPV is a Peltier cold plate. In the photos provided by TECA’s customer, the cold plate keeps hair transplant grafts cool in a solution during the patient’s procedure.

The convenience of the AHP-1200CPV cold plate’s built in temperature controller allows the technician to easily program it to maintain the desired set point. The AHP-1200CPV is capable of reaching temperatures as low as -15C. In the photos here, the set point is programmed to 5C. The AHP-1200CPV has an integral universal power supply, so it can be used with any input voltage range from 100 to 240 VAC.