Bone marrow donation procedure | Bone Marrow Donation

Bone marrow donation procedure

The required hematopoietic stem cells are primarily located in the iliac crest. Currently, there are two ways to obtain the desired hematopoietic stem cells. Here, a peripheral collection of hematopoietic stem cells and the classic bone marrow donation have to be distinguished from each other.

As a rule, a donor must be willing to undergo both procedures. If a particular bone marrow donation procedure is preferred, we will of course try to take this into account. However, from a medical point of view, there is the possibility that only a certain procedure is suitable for the person concerned.

• Peripheral collection: The donor must receive hematopoietic growth factors (G-CSF) over a period of five days, so that the hematopoietic stem cells are produced in increased quantities and are lured from their location, the bone marrow. The abbreviation G-CSF is derived from the English term Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor. Once this is done, the cells can be removed.

  This is done on an outpatient basis without anesthesia and takes about 3 – 4 hours. During this procedure, the blood from an arm vein is guided through a cell separator, where components of the blood are filtered out. The blood then returns to the organism through an arm vein of the other arm.

  Occasionally, when the yield is sparse, a new collection the next day may be necessary. This procedure is known as stem cell apheresis and is now used in about 80% of cases. This means that in most cases a bone marrow donation does not require surgery at all.

• The classic bone marrow donation: about 1 – 1.5 liters of bone marrow-blood mixture are taken from the iliac crest with a special needle under general anesthesia.

  Within a few weeks, the donated bone marrow has regenerated. All in all, the procedure with induction and discharge of anesthesia takes up to 1 1⁄2 hours. In return, the donor is admitted as an inpatient the evening before and can usually leave the hospital on the day of collection, but no later than one day after collection. The harvested bone marrow can then be transfused to a suitable recipient.