What it means
A treatment for some blood cancers and marrow diseases. After high-dose chemotherapy or radiation, stem cells are infused by IV. They may be the client's own (autologous) or from a donor (allogeneic). The cells now usually come from blood rather than marrow, so it is also called a stem cell transplant.
For the nurse
Until the new marrow starts working, the client has almost no white cells: use the protective environmentproh-TEK-tiv en-VY-run-mentA special hospital room and set of precautions that keep germs away from a client whose immune system is very weak.Full entry measures, check temperature often and report any fever at once. Watch for bleeding and, after a donor transplant, graft-versus-host disease.
At a glance
| Also written | bone marrow transplant, bone marrow transplantation |
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Related terms
bone marrow
The soft, spongy tissue inside bones that makes blood cells.
immunodeficiency
A state in which the immune system is weaker than normal and cannot fight infection well.
protective environment
A special hospital room and set of precautions that keep germs away from a client whose immune system is very weak.
filgrastim
A man-made growth factor, injected, that tells the bone marrow to make more neutrophils, a type of white blood cell.