CLEVELAND — University Hospitals will no longer store patients eggs inside cryostorage tanks at its own fertility centers, the hospital system announced Tuesday.
In a statement provided to 3News, UH said the decision follows a "careful review of industry best practices." All existing and future female eggs will be stored at off-site cryo locations, though the move does not affect male embryos.
"While UH will continue to provide the full range of clinical fertility services, patients' eggs will be stored with companies that specialize in providing this service," hospital officials wrote. "We are currently working with patients to transfer eggs to storage facilities. This keeps with industry trends and is a well-established model for fertility centers."
The decision comes more than five years after a catastrophic cryo tank failure at UH Ahuja Medical Center, causing the destruction of more than 4,000 eggs and embryos. The incident impacted roughly 950 families, many of whom sued the hospital and settled out of court.
UH lost its lab accreditation following the failure, but wound up regaining it following several updates to its protocols, including a new remote alarm system that might have prevented the previous meltdown. Besides Ahuja in Beachwood, the system also offers fertility services at its Rainbow Ahuja Center for Women & Children in Cleveland along with the Fertility Center West in Westlake.
University Hospitals has already begun notifying existing patients of its intentions, telling them all eggs currently in on-site tanks must be moved by Nov. 30. However, any eggs remaining after that date will not be destroyed.