Bone marrow harvest best practices

Obtaining an adequate cell dose during a bone marrow harvest is crucial to ensure a quality product for patients who need bone marrow transplantation. The NMDP Marrow Alliance—comprised of NMDP Network collection centers with a record of high-quality collections—aims to increase the capabilities of all collection centers by sharing bone marrow harvest best practices for quality collections and donor safety. 

Access the NMDP Marrow Alliance’s bone marrow harvest white paper of detailed best practices published in Transplantation and Cellular Therapy in 2024. 

• Understand the ideal composition of the bone marrow harvest team.
• Learn about the specific responsibilities of each team member throughout the collection procedure. 

• Gain insights into effective communication strategies that ensure donors are thoroughly informed about the bone marrow harvest process. 
• Explore techniques for discussing procedure details, potential risks and post-procedure care to improve the donor experience and safety. 

• Discover why general anesthesia is preferred. 
• Review the timing of communications with anesthesia throughout the procedure and what to discuss at each point. 

• Access detailed information on each step of the bone marrow harvest to promote a safe and efficient procedure, including: 
• Optimal needle choice 
• Ideal site selection for bone marrow aspiration 
• Procedural details such as patient positioning, site preparation, operating room setup, the role of the nursing staff, the harvesting procedure and measuring cell counts. 
• Learn strategies to address common or significant challenges that may occur during a bone marrow harvest 

• Understand the criteria for safe same-day donor discharge. 
• Learn when to consider an overnight admission. 

• Access post-donation care instructions and guidelines for physical activities to ensure a smooth recovery. 
• Explore recommendations for monitoring and managing potential post-donation complications. 

By following the bone marrow harvest process detailed in the white paper, you can gain confidence that you’ll consistently collect a high-quality product with the optimal cell dose while maintaining donor safety. 

Dive deeper into the insights and save the bone marrow harvest best practices white paper for later use.