How long do you stay in the hospital after a bone marrow transplant?

A bone marrow transplant is a treatment which kills diseased bone marrow by chemotherapy followed by insertion of new cells through Intravenous Therapy (IV). Then, these cells multiply to make healthy new blood-forming cells. It is a treatment for various diseases such as blood cancers, multiple myeloma, leukemia, etc. that stress bone marrow.

Do you know that bone marrow is as soft as spongy tissue which is present inside the bones that helps in forming blood cells?

What are the different kinds of bone marrow transplants?

There are three different kinds of transplants which are enlisted below:

1. Autologous bone marrow transplants: In this procedure, the medical team removes the patient’s healthy blood-forming cells to save them from chemotherapy sessions. Once the treatment is done, these healthy blood-forming cells are restored into the patient’s body to make healthy blood cells.

2. Allogeneic bone marrow transplants: In this treatment, the blood-forming cells are taken from the donor who is finalized after conducting special tests based on matching genes. The donor could be your relative, sibling, parent, or someone found through the national bone marrow registry.

3. Umbilical cord blood transplant: It is quite similar to allogeneic transplantation. The blood-forming cells are removed from the infant’s umbilical cord right after birth that is stored in a freezer for the transplant. As these cells are small in number, blood counts may take longer to recover.

Bone Marrow Donations: What happens during the donation?

Bone marrow donation has a crucial role in the transplant process. In this process, the cells are extracted from the donor who is registered with the national bone marrow registry. There are several NABH, JCI certified bone marrow transplant hospitals in India that conduct the donation program, which also covers the donor’s travel and other related expenses.

• Hospital Stay: It is a surgical procedure that takes place in the operation theatre. The stay is usually from morning to late afternoon; however, the donor may be asked to stay overnight in some cases.

• Anesthesia: The donor is given anesthesia so that he/she doesn’t feel pain during the donation. The donor may be given general anesthesia to make him/her unconscious during the process or regional anesthesia - either spinal or epidural to numb the affected area.

• Donation: During the donation, the donor lies on his/her stomach. Generally, the doctors use needles to withdraw liquid marrow from both sides of the back of the pelvic bone through several smaller incisions.

• Recovery & Possible side-effects: The donor may experience possible side-effects two days after the donation which could be back/hip pain, fatigue, throat pain, insomnia, muscle pain, reduced appetite, dizziness. However, the donor will be fully recovered after 20 days.

How long is hospital stay after bone marrow transplant?

The patient usually has to stay for around 90 days post-operative treatment. Somehow, it may differ due to the following factors:

• Type of Transplant: As discussed above, there are three types of transplants. The recovery process varies according to the type of transplant. While allogeneic transplantation takes a bit longer, autologous takes lesser time to recover.

• Recovery: It differs from body to body, including other parameters such as age, gender, genetics, family medical history and overall health condition of the patient. Older adults take time to get recovered; younger adults take lesser time.

• Side-effects: As it is a complicated surgical procedure, the patient may experience some side-effects which vary accordingly. Therefore, one must stay under the doctor’s supervision to avoid any complications.

Final Thoughts:

Before treatment, the doctor gives an idea about how long the patient may need to stay after the transplant depending on the health condition. However, that may change after the transplant depending on how the body reacts.