Bone marrow transplant

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Bone marrow aspiration

Formed elements of blood

Bone marrow from hip

Overview

Recovery

Risks

Bone marrow transplant

Alternative Names:

Transplant - bone marrow

Expectations after surgery:

Ideally, bone marrow transplant prolongs the life of a patient who would otherwise die. Relatively normal activities can be resumed as soon as the patient feels well enough and after consulting with the doctor.

Other significant problems with a bone marrow transplant are those of all major organ transplants -- the finding of a donor, and the cost. The donor is frequently a sibling with compatible tissue. The more siblings the patient has, the more chances there are of finding a compatible donor.

Convalescence:

The hospitalization period is from 4 - 6 weeks, during which time the patient is isolated and under strict monitoring because of the increased risk of infection. The patient will require attentive follow-up care for 2 - 3 months after discharge from the hospital. It may take 6 months to a year for the immune system to fully recover from this procedure.

Review Date: 11/9/2004
Reviewed By: Marcia S. Brose, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Hematology/Oncology, The University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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