Who is the candidate?
How long should I stay for Bone Marrow Transplantation?
How is surgery performed?
What is the post-sugical care?
What are the possible risks and complications?
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The candidate is patient with leukemia, aplastic anemia and some immune deficiency diseases which the stem cells in the bone marrow malfunction.
Patients who undergo large doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation which destroy both abnormal and normal cells in the bone marrow. These patients also need the Bone Marrow Transplantation.
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How long should I stay for Bone Marrow Transplantation?
It is advisable to stay approximately 3 month to complete a whole process. On an arrival day, a patient should stay in a hotel to relax from a long flight and have a surgery on the following day. Normally, Bone Marrow Transplantation requires 4-8 weeks in hospital. Post operative check up will be done afterward.
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How is surgery performed?
The new bone marrow may come from the donor or from the patient himself. The new bone marrow infused into the patient must match the genetic makeup of the patient's as perfectly as possible to avoid Graft versus Host Disease. Prior to a bone marrow transplant, test will be carried out to ensure the patient is physically capable of undergoing a transplant. The patient's diseased bone marrow is destroyed and healthy marrow is infused through blood-stream.
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What is the post-sugical care?
While new bone marrow getting in place, infection and excessive bleeding can happen. Patient will feel very sick and weak. Antibiotics, platelets and blood transfusions will be given to prevent and fight infection and to stop bleeding. Blood samples will be taken daily to check whether or not engraftment has occurred and to monitor organ function. When the transplanted bone marrow finally engrafts and begins producing normal blood cells, antibiotics will gradually be taken off, blood and platelet transfusions will generally no longer be required. Once bone marrow produces a sufficient number of healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, patient will be discharged from the hospital. Then, patient continues recovery at home for 2-4 months, and usually return to full-time work after six months. During this period, patient's white blood cells are often too few to provide normal protection against viruses and bacteria. Contact with the public is therefore restricted. Often patients wear protective masks when outside.
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What are the possible risks and complications?
Complications can develop after a bone marrow transplant such as infection, bleeding, graft-versus-host disease, or liver disease, which can create additional discomfort. The pain, however, is usually controllable by medication. In addition, mouth sores can develop that make eating and swallowing uncomfortable. Temporary mental confusion sometimes occurs and can be quite frightening for the patient who may not realize it's only temporary.