Literally on the same day, two prominent IVF centers lost large numbers of cryopreserved embryos in one or more tanks. Though details have not been released yet, and causes as of this moment are still unclear, events like this are every embryologist’s ultimate nightmare.
Fortunately, these events are so rare that the occurrence two such events so close together, has even given rise to conspiratory theories. From the little that is known, it appears that one or more tanks warmed up (i.e., did not have adequate levels of liquid nitrogen), and by the time staff noticed, it was too late. Just as freezing of eggs, embryos and reproductive tissues requires a process, so does thawing. Inappropriate thawing will lead to death of gametes and embryos. Thawing must, therefore, occur in controlled fashion. Otherwise, eggs and embryos will die.
YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT AT CRH, WE HAVE BACK UP AFTER BACK UP SYSTEMS, from a CHR-owned gigantic electrical generator in case electricity becomes unavailable, to gametes, embryo and specimen tanks, each individually alarmed, immediately notifying staff during day or night, should a temperature sensors notice inappropriate warming. Like most IVF centers, we are anxiously waiting to hear what went wrong at those two places because the whole field learns from such catastrophic events.
CHR PATIENTS CAN REST ASSURED THAT, SHOULD THESE TWO OCCURRENCES SUGGEST ADDITIONALLY NEEDED SAFETY STEPS, CHR WILL BE AMONG THE FIRST TO IMPLEMENT THEM. Until such time, relax and don’t worry. CHR embryologists watch our cryopreservation tanks like hawks.
This is a part of the March 2018 issue of the CHR VOICE.
Norbert Gleicher, MD, leads CHR’s clinical and research efforts as Medical Director and Chief Scientist. A world-renowned specialist in reproductive endocrinology, Dr. Gleicher has published hundreds of peer-reviewed papers and lectured globally while keeping an active clinical career focused on ovarian aging, immunological issues and other difficult cases of infertility.
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