Transplant Procedure
Blood & Marrow Transplant

The transplant is performed in the Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Unit on the 4th floor of Sutter General Hospital. The unit is a six-bed HEPA-filtered (a special air filter that makes the air almost sterile) unit that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Registered nurses with special education on BMT staff the unit and provide a continuum of care (all care is done on the unit). The BMT Unit can function as a critical care unit and has been carefully designed to promote healing and patient comfort.

The nurses' station at Sutter General Hospital's Blood and Marrow Transplant Unit

Under the leadership of medical director Michael Carroll, MD, the staff share a commitment to quality in medical and nursing care, laboratory services, rehabilitative therapy, social service support and clinical research. The team is fully committed to maintaining close communication with our referring physicians. The Bone Marrow Transplant Unit provides a continuum of care, including the ability to function as a critical care unit.

After the patient completes chemotherapy or chemotherapy and radiation, the stem cells are placed into the blood through an intravenous (IV) line. Patients remain in the BMT Unit until they have recovered and met specific criteria for discharge. Depending on the type of transplant, the patient could be in the unit anywhere from 21 days (autologous transplant) to 30 days (allogeneic transplant).

The patient may have visitors. All visitors must adhere to the visitor guidelines for the unit. Guidelines include:

• No one should visit that is not feeling well. No one with the following conditions should visit: fever, open sores, uncontrolled cough, nausea, diarrhea, eye infections or a runny nose, as well as anyone who has been recently exposed to a contagious disease such as measles or chicken pox.
• All visitors must wash their hands at the nurse's station sink.
• Visitors should call before coming to make sure the patient is feeling well enough for visitors. They should also plan for a quiet visit, bringing a movie or a book so they can sit at the bedside and be available if the patient needs anything.