1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,920 Speaker 1: Fertility Associates has apologized to a family after losing one 2 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: of its embryos. It happened last year. The embryo wasn't 3 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:10,280 Speaker 1: transferred into another mum. They've done an external review which 4 00:00:10,320 --> 00:00:13,200 Speaker 1: found the systems are secure. Doctor Andrew Murray is the 5 00:00:13,240 --> 00:00:15,360 Speaker 1: chief medical officer and is with us. Now, Hi, Andrew, 6 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:16,560 Speaker 1: good evening. 7 00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 2: Here. 8 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:18,840 Speaker 1: Have you figured out how you lost the embryo? 9 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:26,119 Speaker 2: Well, we've conducted a thorough and extremely methodical investment. Is 10 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:30,600 Speaker 2: that the embryos, there are no embryos transferred to other patients. 11 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:34,120 Speaker 2: We haven't inadvertently discarded the embryo, and nor have we 12 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:36,680 Speaker 2: transferred the embryos to another laboratory. 13 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:39,000 Speaker 1: So you don't know what happened. 14 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:45,559 Speaker 2: Where As frustrated as anyone about this, we've done everything 15 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:49,120 Speaker 2: possible to establish what has happened here, and as I say, 16 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 2: we've been through an incredibly robust and thorough process to 17 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 2: try and establish what has happened. And what we know 18 00:00:56,920 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 2: is true is that the embryos are not in another 19 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:04,040 Speaker 2: patient and haven't been inadvertently discarded or transferred offshore. 20 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 1: How did you realize? How did you realize that one 21 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:07,760 Speaker 1: was missing? 22 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:12,960 Speaker 2: So on the day the patient who So this is 23 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 2: an isolated incident, and on the day in question, when 24 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 2: the patient presented to have the embryo transfer, the embryo 25 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:26,200 Speaker 2: could not be located. And as a result, obviously there 26 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:29,800 Speaker 2: was open disclosure with them immediately, and that's what kicked 27 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:31,840 Speaker 2: off the process for us to establish what has happened. 28 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:34,480 Speaker 1: Did the family have other embryos? 29 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:41,040 Speaker 2: I don't want to speak specifically about the affected family 30 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:45,280 Speaker 2: because I've got to respect their privacy, but I can 31 00:01:45,319 --> 00:01:48,160 Speaker 2: say with absolute certainty this is an isolated incident. 32 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 1: But it sounds like you didn't have any other embryos, 33 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:52,600 Speaker 1: because isn't that how it works? You Like, you turn up, 34 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 1: you get your little gown on, and then the embryos 35 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 1: thawed on the spot, isn't it So if you couldn't 36 00:01:57,440 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 1: find the one there. 37 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 2: I'm not going to comment. I'm sorry, but I'm not 38 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:01,640 Speaker 2: going to comment on this. 39 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 1: Did you, Andrew? How did you compensate the family? 40 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:09,120 Speaker 2: So, again, that's a private matter between us and the 41 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 2: affected couple, But I can speak in general terms that 42 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:16,359 Speaker 2: if we ever haven't issue, where there is a problem 43 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:21,919 Speaker 2: that results in a patient's treatment, we would normally offer 44 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:24,679 Speaker 2: replacement treatment to try and get them back to where 45 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:28,760 Speaker 2: they should be. But as I say, I can't comment 46 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:32,239 Speaker 2: on the specifics of the particular family affected here so 47 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 2: far as to say, of course, we obviously apologized unreservedly. 48 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:39,639 Speaker 2: I mean, ives a complex process, it's emotionally charged. We 49 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 2: live this every day, you know, with the patients we 50 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:48,760 Speaker 2: look after, and we are absolutely devastated for them, and 51 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:51,519 Speaker 2: you know we've apologized unreservedly. 52 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, I can imagine now if you can't be sure, 53 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:58,160 Speaker 1: if you can't be sure what happened, how can you 54 00:02:58,200 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: be sure you didn't pop it in someone else? 55 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 2: Well, we have a really robust system to ensure that 56 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:08,760 Speaker 2: doesn't happen. So, to begin with, we have double human 57 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 2: witnessing every time we move embryos from one place to 58 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:15,640 Speaker 2: the next, and that's since twenty twenty four, being backed 59 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:19,440 Speaker 2: up by electronic witnessing as well, with RFID tags attached 60 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 2: to the containers the embryos are in. We've audited every 61 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:26,520 Speaker 2: single movement in the time period in question, and there 62 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 2: have been no other discrepancies found. So we're absolutely confident 63 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 2: that we're not dealing with a situation where an embryo 64 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 2: has ended up in the wrong patient. 65 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 1: How much. Did it sucks ending out that email today. 66 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:42,120 Speaker 2: I'm not going to lie. It was a tough thing 67 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 2: to do, but our approach to this is to be 68 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 2: open and honest with our patients. We want to reassure 69 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 2: our existing patients and your listeners that our processes are robust. 70 00:03:56,040 --> 00:04:00,080 Speaker 2: You know, every year we would perform about seven one 71 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:04,280 Speaker 2: thousand ego tribles or embryo transfers. There are a lot 72 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:07,400 Speaker 2: of moving parts in this and so we want to 73 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:11,360 Speaker 2: make sure that to reassure our patients that this was 74 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:14,760 Speaker 2: an isolated incident. And that's the way why we took 75 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:19,839 Speaker 2: the decision to reassure our other patients today. 76 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, all right, Hey, thank you, Andrew, appreciate your time. 77 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:24,640 Speaker 1: Best of luckily that doctor Andrew Murray, Fertility Associate's Chief 78 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:25,360 Speaker 1: medical officer. 79 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:29,240 Speaker 2: For more from Heather Duplessy Alan Drive, listen live to 80 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:29,840 Speaker 2: news Talks. 81 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:33,039 Speaker 1: It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast 82 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:34,160 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.