University Hospitals on Thursday reached out to patients whose eggs and embryos have been lost to a storage tank malfunction, offering apologies but no reason for the mishap.
WKYC Channel 3 received a version of the letter on Friday.
UH is still reviewing what happened and looking into new alarm systems, security, and preventative maintenance on its storage tanks.
In the meantime, the hospital says it will offer patients who had stored eggs or embryos "an in vitro package tailored to their individual clinical needs." UH also will refund storage fees and will waive storage fees in the future for seven years. A signed release is not required.
During the weekend of March 3 and March 4, a breakdown inside a storage tank at the University Hospitals Fertility Clinic caused thousands of eggs and embryos, belonging to hundreds of patients, to be destroyed.
The tank used nitrogen to keep the eggs and embryos frozen for future implantation. A similar breakdown took place at a fertility center in San Francisco.
RELATED | Disaster at University Hospitals Fertility Clinic may have damaged more than 2,000 embryos and eggs
The UH investigation is focusing on the storage tank and components, the alarm systems, physical and cyber security systems, liquid nitrogen issues and preventative maintenance. The hospital has now purchased new tanks with new alarm systems from a different supplier.
Read the letter below:
UH Fertility Clinic Update to Media 3-22-18 by WKYC.com on Scribd