Temperature conditions

Temperature condition codes are typically applicable if there was an issue during shipping (such as sublimed dry ice) or if a piece of storage equipment failed. Other codes are applied as part of routine and expected handling of specimens. For example the FRO condition code can be used to indicate that a specimen intended to be stored ambient or refrigerated was frozen.

Table 1. Temperature conditions
Code Description Usage
DIM Dry Ice Melted The specimen was kept on dry ice, but the dry ice sublimed. This does not necessary imply that the specimen was damaged or TNO.
FRO Frozen The temperature of the specimen has been lowered below its freezing point. This applies only to specimens that were not intended to be frozen, such as specimens that were shipped at ambient temperature during the winter.
REF Refrigerated The specimen is cooler than room temperature but not below its freezing point. This applies only to specimens that were not intended to be refrigerated.
TNO Temperature Not Optimal The specimen was stored or shipped at any temperature other than the temperature specified by the protocol.
TWD Thawed The specimen was frozen, and has been warmed so that it is no longer frozen. LDMS has a field to track a thaw count, which can be used to keep track of how many times the specimen has been thawed. This information can be found on the Details Window for the aliquot in Specimen Management.