Remote IVF: a clinical and laboratory guide to performing remote oocyte retrievals

The aim of this guide is to describe different scenarios when remote IVF would be needed, considerations around how to plan for the procedure, proper equipment in the procedure room, and proper transportation of oocytes from the procedure room. There are two different scenarios for remote IVF: (1) IVF clinics designed knowing the embryology laboratory is nonadjacent and (2) IVF clinics that routinely provide care to patients in their clinic and want to provide care to those who are ineligible for a retrieval under anesthesia in an outpatient facility. This guide will focus on both scenarios. Much of the advice can be used for IVF clinics that routinely perform oocyte retrievals nonadjacent to their embryology laboratories. Special considerations are needed when patients with complex comorbidities require high-level of care and hospital-level monitoring while under anesthesia and/or post-oocyte retrieval, and are thus unable to be treated in the standard facility. For these reasons we have created a comprehensive guide to nonadjacent, or off-site, oocyte retrievals for reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) physicians, nurses, and embryologists to use when planning care for IVF patients. Going forward, we will refer to both these scenarios as remote IVF.