From BMT Newsletter January 1995 Issue # 27 - Donors - Some Very Special People Reprinted by NYSERNet with Permission from BMT Newsletter
The procedure used to collect bone marrow from a donor is called a bone marrow harvest. Harvests usually are performed under general anesthesia, although local anesthesia sometimes is an option.
While the donor is under anesthesia, bone marrow is extracted with a needle and syringe from the rear hip bone or "iliac crest," where a large quantity of bone marrow is located. Several skin punctures and multiple bone punctures are required to collect enough marrow for the transplant. There are no surgical incisions or stitches involved - only skin punctures where the needle was inserted.
The amount of marrow collected depends on the size of the BMT patient and the concentration of bone marrow cells in the donor's blood. The donor's body replaces the lost marrow within four weeks.
After the harvest, some donors experience nausea from the anesthesia and/or pain at the harvest site. These problems can be controlled with medication. Most donors resume normal activities in three to four days and completely recover from the harvest within two weeks.
Occasionally a donor experiences prolonged pain. This is usually due to excessive bleeding into tissues beneath the skin near the harvest site. It occurs most often in persons who are overweight. The problem resolves itself over a period of several weeks as the body absorbs the excess blood.
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