What it means
The body's starter cells. Blood-forming (hematopoietic) stem cells in the bone marrowbone MAIR-ohThe soft, spongy tissue inside bones that makes blood cells.Full entry make all red cells, white cells and platelets. A stem cell transplant replaces diseased or destroyed marrow, for example after high-dose chemotherapy for leukemia; the cells may come from the client (autologous) or a donor (allogeneic).
For the nurse
After a stem cell transplant, the client has almost no white cells for a time: use strict infection prevention, watch for bleeding, and, after a donor transplant, for graft-versus-host disease (rash, diarrhea, liver changes).
At a glance
| Spanish | célula madre |
|---|---|
| Also written | stem cells |
Related terms
platelet
A tiny cell fragment in the blood that sticks together at a wound to help form a clot.
bone marrow
The soft, spongy tissue inside bones that makes blood cells.
red blood cell
A blood cell that carries oxygen from the lungs to the body's tissues; also called an erythrocyte.
lymphocyte
A type of white blood cell that targets specific germs and abnormal cells, including T cells, B cells and natural killer cells.