title: Standardization of catheter load speed during embryo transfer: comparison of manual and pump-regulated embryo transfer.
abstract: The position of transfer air bubbles after embryo transfer is related to the pregnancy rate. With the conventional manual embryo-transfer technique it is not possible to predict the final position of the air bubbles. This position mainly depends on the catheter load speed at transfer (injection speed), a parameter that remains uncontrollable with the conventional technique even after standardization of the protocol. Therefore, the development of an automated device that generates a standardized injection speed is desirable. This study aimed to examine the variation in injection speeds in manual embryo transfer and pump-regulated embryo transfer (PRET). Seven laboratory technicians were asked to perform simulated transfers using the conventional embryo-transfer technique. Their injection speeds were compared with that of a PRET device. The results indicate that in manually performed transfers, even after standardization of the protocol, there is still a large variation in injection speed, while a PRET device generates a reliable and reproducible injection speed and therefore brings new possibilities for further standardization of the embryo-transfer procedure. Future research should reveal whether these experiments mimic real clinical circumstances and if a standardized injection speed results in more exact positioning of the transferred embryos and therefore higher pregnancy rates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. e.groeneveld@vumc.nl
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Groeneveld
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: de Leeuw
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Vergouw
authors.forename: O W
authors.initials: OW
authors.lastname: Visser
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lambers
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Heymans
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Langeveld
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schats
authors.forename: P G A
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Hompes
mesh_terms: D001331:Automation; D057785:Catheters / Q000592:standards; D004624:Embryo Transfer / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D012015:Reference Standards