Supporters
Developed
in Cooperation with the Middle East Fertility Society
ACGME COMPETENCY
Patient Care
NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND COURSE DESCRIPTION
The
IVF laboratory is an integral part of all assisted reproduction
programs. Advances in technology, as well as accumulation of data on existing technology, require continuous
reevaluation of IVF laboratory practice, revision of old techniques and implementation of new methodologies and
practices when and where warranted. Change, however, is not trivial and requires in-depth and up-to-date
knowledge and information. Moreover, in many areas of practice,
there are conflicting opinions and data presented in the literature,
and without proper analysis of this information, implementation of practices to improve laboratory
quality is difficult, if not impossible.
Designed for obstetricians and gynecologists and other physicians
specializing in fertility as well as laboratory scientists and technicians, this course aims to provide the
attendees with concise information aggregated and analyzed by
experts on new technologies and laboratory practice guidelines. It
will also provide an interactive forum for discussion of pertinent
topics that have been the subject of controversy, including the
question of how to provide the optimal laboratory and culture
environment for human embryos; new methods of embryo selection for
transfer that have been proposed, including minimally invasive
techniques of embryo viability assessment; oocyte and embryo
cryopreservation using vitrification will be discussed in the
context of improving the efficiency of IVF; critical evaluation of
methods aimed at mitigating gamete and embryo abnormalities; single
embryo transfer; and methods to enhance implantation.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After participating in this course, participants should be able to:
1.
Summarize the elements of a safe and efficient IVF laboratory
environment and identify the elements of an optimal culture
environment for human embryos.
2. Explain emerging “OMICS” technologies and discuss their utility
in ART.
3. Discuss the current state of evidence regarding patient selection
for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI),vitrification and slow
freezing methods for cryopreservation of human oocytes and embryos,
assisted hatching and co-culture of zygotes, preimplantation genetic
screening (PGS) technologies.
4. Summarize the current status of single embryo transfer in
clinical practice.
5. Enumerate factors that affect implantation rates and describe the
role of endometrial receptivity and embryo quality.
