A sample that arrives without its history is a sample the receiving laboratory cannot fully trust. Five parts, and the fourth is the one that turns up missing.
Identity
Patient identifiers on the straw, the visotube label and the paperwork, all matching, with the witnessing record of who checked them at packing.
Consent
Current consent to storage and to transfer, with the renewal date. Under the rules in force since 1 July 2022, storage can run to 55 years with consent renewed every ten years (HFEA), so the receiving laboratory needs that date to set its own reminders.
Storage history
Freezing date, method (vitrification or slow freezing, open or closed device), vessel and position at the sending laboratory, and any recorded temperature or level excursions.
Shipper validation, the one that goes missing
Serial number, charge date and time, confirmation that free liquid was removed, and the temperature trace for the journey. ESHRE’s 2026 recommendations require dry shippers to be validated for maintenance below minus 150°C for the maximum anticipated transport time, and the trace is the evidence the window held. A cryogenic data logger with a PT1000 probe produces it.
Chain of custody
Who packed, who carried, who received, with times, and the shipper’s condition on arrival. Send the set ahead electronically and a paper copy with the shipper.
