Bone marrow transplants: How they work
How does a bone marrow transplant work?
A number of tests are performed before the bone marrow transplant
procedure to make sure you are physically able to undergo a
transplant. These tests also help the transplant team identify and
treat any potential problems before the transplant. The tests
required before the bone marrow transplant are usually done on an
outpatient basis.
Before the bone marrow transplant can be performed, a central venous
catheter is inserted through a vein in your chest during a simple
surgical procedure. This allows fluids, nutrition solutions,
antibiotics, chemotherapy or blood products to be delivered directly
into your bloodstream without frequently having to insert a needle
into your vein. The catheter can also be used to collect blood
samples.
Colony-stimulating factors are given before your bone marrow
transplant to help your white blood cells recover from chemotherapy
and reduce your risk of infection. They also increase the number of
stem cells in your blood. Colony-stimulating factors are hormone-like
drugs that stimulate your white blood cells to multiply, mature and
function.
The donor's bone marrow is withdrawn through a needle inserted into a
bone in the hip. The procedure is performed in the operating room and
the patient is given general anesthesia. Dr. Jack Bleesing, with
Cincinnati Children's division of hematology and oncology, said one
of the biggest misconceptions about bone marrow donation is that it
requires surgery.
"Bone marrow is harvested from donors, either through surgical
removal of bone marrow from their hip bones, or via specialized blood
transfusions,
much like a conventional blood transfusion.
Very high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy are given to
destroy the abnormal stem cells and blood cells. They are also given
to prepare your body to receive the bone marrow transplant. The high
dose therapy has a rigorous effect on your body, wiping out your
normal bone marrow. As a result, your blood counts (number of red
blood cells, white blood cells and platelets) quickly fall to low
levels.
During this phase of treatment, patients will be given intravenous
fluids to flush out their kidneys and minimize the damage from
chemotherapy. They will also be given medications to control nausea,
since chemotherapy often causes nausea and vomiting.
Because patients are in a fragile state of health and do not have
enough white blood cells to protect them from infection, they will be
isolated in their hospital room until after the new bone marrow
begins to grow.
The day you receive your bone marrow transplant, the harvested bone
marrow is infused into a vein through an intravenous (IV) tube. The
bone marrow looks like dark, thick blood. It migrates to the large
bone cavities (breast bone, skull, hips, ribs, and spine), engrafts
and begins producing normal blood cells after several weeks.
http://www.jconline
AID=/20070825/
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:
Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/
Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123
The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
____________________________________________
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
__,_._,___
