New details emerge about major in vitro fertilisation embryo bungles at Monash IVF
Two separate embryo mix-ups led to the resignation of Monash's chief executive, Michael Knaap, earlier this month.
In April, Monash IVF revealed a woman at its Brisbane facility had another patient's embryo transferred to her, which it blamed on 'human error'.
A missing embryo was thought to be a counting error, it has now been revealed.
The first woman had a number of embryos successfully frozen.
Months later, when there was one less than she was initially told, doctors said they must have counted wrong.
However, the missing embryo had been successfully transferred into another woman's uterus.
There was no formal audit at the time, but it was eventually discovered when the birth parents requested their remaining embryos be transferred to another provider.
Monash IVF apologised, expressed confidence that it was an isolated incident, and hired leading barrister Fiona McLeod to lead an independent review.
However, a second mix-up was discovered earlier this month.
Another woman was incorrectly given the wrong embryo at the Monash IVF's Clayton clinic — in Melbourne — earlier this month.
That led to Knaap's resignation.
Knaap, who was also a director, was appointed CEO in 2019 and led the company through a period of 'significant growth and transformation'.
The company's chief financial officer, Malik Jainudeen, has assumed the role of acting CEO.
There are now calls for a national regulator to prevent this ever happening again.
'This is a great human tragedy,' bioethicist Dr Xavier Symons told 7NEWS.
'It's not even about reducing the risk of this happening.
'This needs to be an impossibility.'
The Victorian Health Regulator is conducting its own probe into how the error occurred at the clinic in the suburb of Clayton.
'There is currently a rapid review being undertaken, that is due to report back in three months,' Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said.
Monash IVF said it's supporting the families involved.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
7NEWS
a day ago
- 7NEWS
Robotic surgery at St Vincent's Hospital saves Melbourne man's voice and ability to eat
Melbourne man has had his voice and his life saved by cutting-edge robotic surgery, performed in a world-first procedure at St Vincent's Hospital. Jordan Robotis works in before-and-after-school care and said it all started around Christmas time. 'I sort of was noticing my voice was kind of changing,' he said. 'And then further down, my cousins noticed that there was a lump in my throat. So then I got that checked out from the doctors.' Initially, he said: 'They were a little bit unsure about it,' and after ultrasounds, CT scans and a biopsy, he ended up at St Vincent's Hospital. 'They were able to give me a better understanding of what it actually was,' Robotis said. 'They also put a camera in my nose and into my throat and I was able to actually see the tumour, which was pretty confronting.' The tumour was in a highly complex part of the throat, located between the voice box, tongue and side wall of the throat where critical nerves and arteries are tightly packed. 'I was a little bit, I guess, in shock,' Robotis said. 'Sort of unsure on what it is because obviously you hear about it, you see it everywhere. But when it's you, it's a little bit confronting.' 'You sort of go into survival mode... What do we do now?' After being told at another hospital he might never speak or eat again, Robotis was referred to St Vincent's Professor Ben Dixon, Director of the ENT Head and Neck Service. 'They actually did tell me that I'd lose my voice completely. I would never speak again. I'd never eat again. I would have a feeding tube, all that fun stuff,' Robotis said. 'They said they would do their best to avoid all of those, I guess, critical parts and from what I heard, they were one of the best at what they do.' Professor Dixon told 7NEWS the surgery required 'complete removal with a margin around it,' but the challenge was to preserve critical functions such as breathing, swallowing, speech and voice. 'With a more standard or larger approach… it may have left him with more swallowing dysfunction, voice dysfunction, even potentially requiring a permanent breathing tube,' he said. The team used the da Vinci robot to operate from the inside of the throat outward. 'We were able to go in through the mouth, define the limits of exactly where the tumour was, make precise cuts around the lining of the throat and the voice box so that we could maintain function in as much of it as possible,' Professor Dixon explained. 'Then we were able to go externally through the neck and remove it knowing that we'd made the internal cuts in all the right areas.' 'You need to get it all out in the one go… If you leave bits behind or have positive margins, that could be a disaster.' Jordan had no idea the surgery would be done by a robot. 'I was a little bit unsure at the beginning because obviously you don't really expect to be hearing something like that,' he said. 'But I had full trust and faith in the medical team, so I didn't really stress too much. I knew I was in good hands.' After the tumour was removed, plastic surgeon Dr Edwin Morrison used the Simani microsurgical robot to help reconstruct the area using tissue from Jordan's thigh. 'It's one of a kind. There is no alternative to it,' Dr Morrison said. 'It provides us with unparalleled abilities to operate at the microscopic level. Some would say superhuman. It's probably not that unreasonable to put it that way.' He explained the tissue transfer involved repairing blood vessels just 1mm to 1.5mm in diameter. 'We're restoring a circulation or bringing it back to life, if you will,' he said. 'The confidence in repairing vessels… less than one to one and a half millimetres, is not there (without robotics).' Dr Morrison said their goal was simple. 'At the end of the day, we reconstruct defects, we restore form and function - but what it's really all about is restoring patients… and in Jordan's case, their quality of life after their treatment,' he said. The operation took place on May 5th. Recovery was not easy. 'Coming out of surgery, I was in all sorts. It was a lot. It was probably the hardest few weeks of my life,' Robotis said. 'But after getting out of the first few weeks and coming home, it was a lot easier to kind of start healing.' He's now focused on getting his strength back. Returning to the operating theatre where he underwent his surgery 7NEWS was there as Jordan thanked his doctors for saving his voice and his life. 'I guess… thank you. Just for everything they've done. Just how efficiently and quickly it all kind of happened,' he said. 'That's all I can really appreciate is that I'm here.' Professor Dixon said the case highlights how robotic-assisted surgery is transforming outcomes for patients. 'Jordan being a young man with a tumour in a difficult spot… it's a great example of how using technology in the right case can really allow someone to live with a very high quality of life,' he said. 'And really importantly, offer this to as many people in the public as possible.' And if you're still unsure about robots in the operating room? 'The surgeon still controls the robot,' Professor Dixon explained. 'It is not an automated robot. It's fully controlled by a surgeon.'
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
Deadly trend on the rise in major state
Victoria has been rocked by the highest number of fatal overdoses in a decade, with nearly 600 residents dying from drug overdoses last year alone. Ten years ago, illicit drugs contributed to less than half of all overdose deaths. In 2024, the Coroners Court found this figure increased to 65.6 per cent. Overdose deaths have spiked in Victoria. NewsWire / David Geraghty Credit: News Corp Australia It's a figure increasing yearly, with 584 Victorian residents dying from drug overdoses in 2024, up from 547 the year before and 552 in 2022. Heroin contributed to 248 deaths in the state, and 215 deaths were related to methamphetamine – a stat that has tripled since 2015. The majority of all overdose deaths occurred in metropolitan Melbourne, with about 75 per cent being unintentional. Monash University Associate Professor Shalini Arunogiri told NewsWire the bleak new figures were a reminder of the lack of treatment available for opioid addictions. 'Each of these 584 deaths represents a life lost unnecessarily,' she said. 'Behind every statistic is someone's loved one, a friend, a sibling, a parent.' Worryingly, the majority of the fatal overdoses were men, who made up two-thirds of total deaths over the past decade. Heroin was the leading drug found in the fatal overdoses, followed by methamphetamine. NewsWire / David Geraghty Credit: News Corp Australia Ms Arunogiri said there was a 'strong connection' between drug abuse and mental health, especially if people lacked access to mental health support and effective treatment and instead turned to substances as their 'only available relief'. 'People often turn to substances as a way of coping with untreated trauma, anxiety, depression or other psychological distress,' she said. 'This is why integrated care that treats both mental health and substance use is so important.' The increase in fatal heroin and methamphetamine overdoses was 'particularly concerning', Ms Arunogiri said, as harm reduction methods were available to prevent further deaths. 'The positive here is that solutions do exist, we just need to implement what works,' she said. 'Expanding medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction must be a priority, given heroin's role as the top contributor.' Ms Arunogiri said lifesaving medications needed to be provided at a faster rate to prevent overdoses. 'Medications like methadone and buprenorphine can reduce the risk of overdose, but people often face long waits for care,' she said. 'Effective measures like drug checking and expanding access to opioid overdose reversal medications, such as naloxone, is also critical.' There's a 'strong connection' between drug use and mental health. Credit: Supplied Penington Institute chief executive John Ryan said 'too many Australians are dying from preventable drug overdoses' and argued governments were '(refusing) to fully embrace measures to drive down this horrific toll'. 'We're still not spending enough money on proven harm reduction initiatives like drug testing, supervised injecting, community education and the wide provision of the anti-overdose drug naloxone,' he said. In May, the Victorian government introduced its take-home naloxone program, which was expanded across 50 needle and syringe program providers, including over the counter at pharmacies, at the Medically Supervised Injecting Room and via prescription to expand access to the medication. Health of the Nation: drugs and alcohol Ms Arunogiri said these were 'important steps' to preventing further harm. 'These evidence-based interventions are crucial, but we need further investment to make sure everyone can access the health care they need,' she said. 'The most devastating thing is that we know these deaths were preventable. 'We understand what works – effective medications, harm reduction services, early intervention, but we need to remove the barriers that keep people from accessing the healthcare we all deserve.'
Sky News AU
4 days ago
- Sky News AU
Parents hit back at Premier Jacinta Allan after extraordinary attack on concerns about a ‘school to gender clinic pipeline'
A group of parents with kids suffering from gender dysphoria have hit back at Premier Jacinta Allan after the Labor leader launched an extraordinary attack on parents concerned about the teaching of radical gender theory in Victorian schools. The Australian revealed on Thursday that the Victorian Department of Education had quietly updated its Respectful Relationships program to include content that teaches kids as young as five their biological sex may not align with their gender identity. The report included concerns from a spokeswoman from Parents of Adolescents with Gender Distress there was a 'school to gender clinic pipeline' which was pushing kids towards irreversible medical interventions. Premier Allan blasted the reporting during a press conference on Thursday, claiming the Respectful Relationships program was 'all about protecting kids, strengthening resilience of kids and supporting kids to be who they are across our schools'. The Premier then took aim at the parents' concerns, branding them 'disgraceful, nonsense' and claiming 'transgender kids are 15 times more likely to kill themselves'. In a letter responding to the Premier, the Parents of Adolescents with Gender Distress accused Ms Allan of making 'alarmist and irresponsible claims' in relations to suicide which were not supported by data. 'You made the alarming suggestion of a 15 times higher rate of suicide amongst transgender children. We believe this figure comes from survey data and concerned thoughts of suicide rather than completed suicide,' the parents wrote. 'Data shows suicide rates for transgender youth, while elevated, remain extremely low, and as many also suffer from co-occurring conditions (ASD (autism spectrum disorder), eating disorders, anxiety) which have similar levels of risk, a direct correlation can't be made,' the parents wrote. 'Neither affirmation nor medicalisation impacts this suicide risk or suicidal ideation and there is no evidence that programs introducing unevidenced concepts of 'gender identity' are beneficial to the mental health of children or adolescents. The parent group's concerns are supported by findings from a comprehensive independent review into gender dysphoria treatment in the UK found that 'the evidence does not adequately support the claim that gender affirming treatment reduces suicide risk'. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's website also states there is 'no reliable national data on rates of suicide and self-harm among LGBTIQ+ communities in Australia'. In their letter to Ms Allan, Parents of Adolescents with Gender Distress requested the Premier meet with them to hear about their experiences – noting Education Minister Ben Carroll and his departmental secretary had 'refused to engage' with their attempts to organise a meeting for the past year. In its report on Thursday, the Australian revealed new content had been added to the Respectful Relationships program. The content, aimed at kids in their first year of primary school, includes a case study involving a transgender girl named "Stacey" who wants to play on the boys sport team. The curriculum also seeks to educate the five and six-year-old students about the notion of being transgender, by telling them that 'some people feel they did not get a good match for their body parts, and they do not want to be called a boy or a girl, but rather something that is right for them'. Parents of Adolescents with Gender Distress's letter states the group 'believe these programs which invite children to question their sex, and therefore their comfort in their own bodies, based on stereotypes, create unnecessary anxiety and confusion, particularly for gender-nonconforming or neurodiverse children. 'We hope that in the spirit of inclusivity you could meet with us to hear our personal stories.' Speaking to Sky News Australian on Thursday evening, Queensland Psychiatrist Andrew Amos agreed the content in the curriculum could be 'extremely harmful to kids'. Dr Amos said kids start to develop an understanding of sex characteristics at a reasonably young age, but this is mostly at the level of play. 'The way that kids learn is that they play with ideas, they play with clothes, they play with toys. What's happening, though, is in the school and in the clinic, people with a very strong political idea about what should happen with kids are then pushing them into a pipeline that really will follow them for the rest of their lives and do a lot of harm to them,' he said. 'We haven't got any good evidence that it helps kids and we know that it does significant and irreversible harm to them. 'So yeah, I think it's extremely inappropriate to be teaching five-year-olds, this sort of sexualized idea that you can be born into the wrong body.'
