The director of the University Hospitals fertility clinic has been reassigned following a catastrophic storage tank error that destroyed more than 4,000 eggs and embryos, leaving hundreds of patients without the opportunity to have a biological child.
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James Goldfarb, MD, division chief of reproductive endocrinology and infertility, has been reshuffled to focus on coordinating all UH fertility clinic patient care, according to the hospital. His responsibility has been shifted to make sure the hospital is "effectively supporting the clinical needs of [the] patients."
James Liu, MD, chair of the department of OB/GYN, is stepping in to take the lead over the fertility clinic lab, according to UH.
Two weeks ago, Liu sat down with 5 On Your Side Investigator, Sarah Buduson. At times, Liu struggled to explain the catastrophic storage tank malfunction.
"The alarms are, unfortunately, not checked in this case, prior to this event happening over the weekend. So I'm not certain when this alarm system was tested last," Liu said, stumbling over his response.
In that same interview, Dr. Liu was also asked about patient trust.
"We take good care of our patients as best we can, on a case by case basis," Liu said.
Since the error, UH said it has upgraded its equipment, including new tanks, alarms, surveillance and remote monitoring systems, and has added more staff to accommodate increased patient volume.
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