Ochsner Hospital Elmwood has indefinitely suspended operations at its in vitro fertilization center in Elmwood because of a mix-up in the labeling of frozen embryos.
Despite the errors, Ochsner Chief Executive Officer Pat Quinlan assured that no embryos had been implanted in the wrong mother.
According to Quinlan, "we have reason to believe the IVF center has been compromised due to what appears to be a significant labeling issues which makes us unable to account for all of the frozen embryos in our IVF center."
The hospital is conducting an audit of the entire in vitro fertilization program, which has been in operation since 2003. Approximately 100 couples may be affected by the labeling errors. According to news reports, two class action lawsuits have been filed against Ochsner so far.
The Ochsner motto is pictured above: "Healthcare With Peace Of Mind." Hmmm . . .
(HT: Adam Feibelman)
In Ohio:
Carolyn Savage gave birth to a baby boy on Friday, after the fertility clinic where she underwent in vitro fertilization transferred another couple's embryos into her uterus. According to CNN, the Savages were informed of the mistake in February, 10 days after undergoing in vitro fertilization, and determined to voluntarily relinquish the child at birth to the genetic parents, rather than terminate the pregnancy.
The five embryos the Savages had cryogenically preserved at the clinic in Ohio (the Savages are not releasing the name of the clinic) are still unused and have been moved to another clinic in Atlanta, Georgia. Because Carolyn has been advised by doctors against future pregnancies, the Savages are reportedly in talks with a potential gestational surrogate.
The American Fertility Association (AFA) has issued several statements regarding the matter:
In 2007, there were 132,262 IVF cycles performed in the United States (Fresh, Frozen and Donor Egg, per the CDC) in which more than 300,000 embryos were placed into the intended recipients. Embryology laboratories have extremely rigorous procedures to maximally ensure public safety and the health of our patients and their children born of IVF.
The Ohio case is rarer than 1 in a million and I speculate that human error, not malintent, will prove to be the root cause.
In a similar 1999 case in New York, custody was granted to the biological parents and visitation rights denied to the birth mother. (Perry-Rogers v. Fasano, 276 A.D.2d 67, 715 N.Y.S.2d 19, 2000 N.Y. Slip Op. 09070 (N.Y.A.D. 1 Dept. Oct 26, 2000) (NO. 1605, 1606). There’s a large secondary literature on Perry-Rogers and related issues and, no doubt, some Lounge readers have followed the case and surrounding legal issues with interest. As always, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section.
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