Aspire HFI Patient Statement
Patient Statement
A Texas attorney recently issued a statement soliciting patients regarding a small decrease in survival rates of embryos in the thawing process observed at the Aspire HFI Piney Point location in February 2024. Our lab is meticulous in how we measure and monitor our embryos, and the moment we identified this decline we launched a comprehensive internal review with various outside experts. The survival rate appeared to coincide in time with a change of vitrification media. Immediately upon identifying this potential issue, we halted use of this media. Since reverting to the prior media our success rates have returned to their industry leading standards.
AHFI is dedicated to the well-being of our patients and their tissue. We have notified the small number of patients with known adverse outcomes and continue to work closely with our laboratory teams to identify and notify other patients who may have been impacted during this period. As always, our mission is to work together with our patients to achieve their family-building dreams.
FAQs
General Questions
What is vitrification media?
Vitrification media is a liquid solution that's used to facilitate the rapid freezing of tissue without the formation of ice crystals that might damage the tissue.What is the time frame?
This issue was limited to patients seen at Aspire HFI during a limited period of time and for a limited set of services, with the time period limited to Feb 1st to March 14th, 2024, and the services limited to retrievals and oocyte thaws for embryo creation. The impacted services did not include thaws for embryo transfer. Any patients or services outside this time window were not impacted.Why are you providing notice now?
Patients known to have been adversely impacted have been individually notified since the issue first became apparent. We are providing general notice now because our prior disclosure has lead to discussions on social media and other online platforms and we felt it necessary to provide public disclosure to explain the limited nature of the problem and our solutions for affected patients to achieve their family planning goals.What caused the decrease in embryo survival rates?
While the investigation is ongoing, preliminary findings suggest that the use of a different type of vitrification culture media may be the cause. We stopped using this vitrification culture media on March 15, 2024, and are no longer utilizing this media.Are there any risks associated with returning to the prior vitrification culture media?
The prior vitrification media had been successfully used in the clinic for more than 20 years. There is no evidence to suggest that it poses any risks to embryos.
Patient-Specific Questions
How will I know if my embryos were affected?
The only patients potentially impacted are those who had retrievals and oocyte thaws for embryo creation between Feb 1st and March 14th, 2024. If you received services outside of this time period, your care was not impacted. If you were seen during this time period but your services did not include retrievals and oocyte thaws for embryo creation, your care was not impacted. For example, if you had oocyte or embryos thaws for transfer during this time period, your care was not impacted.If you were a patient at Aspire HFI between February 1st to March 14th 2024 for an egg retrievals or oocyte thaw for embryo creation, we are available to discuss your individual situation and address any questions you may have.
What replacement services are being offered?
We are offering a variety of replacement services to affected patients, including additional embryo transfers, egg retrieval cycles, or other options as determined on a case-by-case basis with the patient and their physician.What if I have concerns about the quality of my embryos?
We understand your concerns and are committed to providing you with the highest quality care. We are happy to discuss your individual situation and address any questions you may have.What if I don’t make as many embryos?
For impacted patients, AHFI will cover cycles sufficient to replace the number of usable embryos that did not survive this most recent thaw (i.e. if patient lost 3 usable/euploid embryos, we will provide replacement services until 3 usable/euploid embryos are restored).
Legal Questions
- Is there a lawsuit pending against AHFI?
No lawsuits have been filed related to this incident.
