Clinica Tambre, specialists in Assisted Reproduction, explain that biosafety in an in vitro fertilization laboratory consists of the set of measures taken to protect the patient, the laboratory worker, the surroundings and the environment.
These measures include techniques and procedures, as well as physical measures, including the design and equipment of the laboratory. Biosafety allows the elimination or minimization of adverse effects due to the possible presence of infectious agents in the samples provided.
It should be noted that, although safety measures are essential for optimal results, they cannot replace the existence of a good working procedure, which is an indispensable condition for safety.
Biosafety of laboratory professionals
In the In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Laboratory, infection control procedures are stipulated to minimize the risk of infection between patients through contact with contaminated material and instruments.
These are some of the measures necessary to maintain proper biosafety:
- Access to the laboratory should always be restricted to authorized personnel.
- The material used for the in vitro fertilization process is for single use only, and whenever possible, glassware should be replaced by plastic to minimize the risk of cuts.
- Mechanical devices should be used for pipetting fluids and gloves should always be worn in contact with blood or potentially infectious fluids.
- Protective goggles should be worn whenever there is a risk of splashing.
- All laboratory surfaces should be cleaned at the end of the day or whenever there is a spill with specific products.
- Biological material should be kept in special containers that ensure its correct separation. Embryologists always have the necessary mechanisms, knowledge and protocols to avoid any type of contagion.
Physical barriers in the IVF Laboratory
The physical biological safety barriers to prevent and avoid the adverse effect of possible infectious agents in a laboratory are:
- Conditioned and impermeable work surfaces, sturdy furniture and sufficient space to store the material so as not to obstruct the passage of professionals or the processes that take place on these surfaces.
- Laboratory access doors should have a safety glass peephole to prevent accidents and to be able to observe the inside of the laboratory without opening the door. These doors should be made of fire-resistant material or be in a fire-protected area.
- All necessary means of fire protection should always be in place to prevent both the onset and spread of fire.
- A safe electrical installation, with sufficient capacity to maintain all connected devices without overloading, must be available.
- Ventilation and air filtering in the laboratory is carried out according to the surface area and the need for air renewal.
Before the biological samples obtained are sent to the in vitro fertilization laboratory, blood tests are carried out to detect antibodies in both the male and the female. Even so, there is always the possibility of infection with some viruses such as hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and AIDS virus, because they would not be detected if seroconversion had not yet occurred. Other organisms could be of bacterial origin, present in semen and in cervical mucus or follicular fluid.
Therefore, one must always proceed in compliance with all safety measures. In fact, for all these reasons, all samples arriving at the IVF laboratory must be processed as if they were potentially infectious.