NEW ORLEANS? -? Just what goes on in a lab where human embryos are stored, and what safeguards are in place to protect their identity? And how can a?mix-up in an embryo lab affect couples?
Fertility experts who are not connected to?Ochsner or the recent mislabeling issue, have concerns for couples who depend upon?in vitro fertilization to have a family.
"This is going to create a lot of anxiety but it is important to know that the majority of the time this does not happen," said?fertility specialist, Dr. Sissy Sartor.
Dr.?Sartor sees patients at the Fertility Institute of New?Orleans, a different facility than the one involved in Friday's announcement at Ochsner, and she says while one?problem is too many, when you consider the nearly 23,000 cycles of embryo transfers in the?U.S. a year,?mix-ups are very uncommon.
"The steps that are taken in?in vitro fertilization labs, are very meticulously followed and are thought about extensively so these sorts of things don't happen,"?added Dr. Sartor.?
The embryologist at the Fertility Institute of New?Orleans showed Eyewitness News the more than half dozen checks and balances that its frozen?embryos go through. Canisters had to be wheeled out from a special room where even the doctors and nurses are not allowed.?
An independent alarm system had to be temporarily disabled.??Paper work and four to five?different labels with names, ID numbers,?social security numbers,?dates of birth are written on canisters, canes and the actual high security straw that contains the human embryos. Here,?they audit the lab system every time a new employee comes or an old one leaves the company. This is highly regulated by the?federal government.
"Certain infectious diseases, hepatitis,?HIV, those patients are regulated by?the FDA to not be in tanks with patients who don't have those particular infectious diseases. So the?FDA does have a hand in how we control cross contamination of diseases to these frozen?embryos," said?Beanie?Welch, an?embryologist?and technical supervisor at?The Fertility Institute of New?Orleans.
Experts say the?human?embryos can be?DNA-tested to see who they belong too but some might not remain viable if they are unfrozen tested and refrozen.?Louisiana is the only state with a law stating that?embryos have all the rights of people and can not be discarded. They can be adopted by another couple or forever frozen. Counselors say couples in an already heightened emotional state will feel anger, sadness and fear.
"There's going to be the whole gamut of emotion and?I think it's such a vulnerable feeling anyway to be going through?in vitro fertilization and to have something like this happen when you're already feeling out of control," said?Nancy Timm, a?Licensed Clinical Social Worker who?counsels?IVF patients.?
Timm?says that couples should seek professional help because the anger, sadness?and grief could put stress on a relationship.
Ochsner says it plans to store the embryos indefinitely.
The hospital set up a toll-free hotline for questions about the embryo mix-up.
That number is 1-866-631-9783.
Patients can also e-mail the hospital at .
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