[Experience with 22 bone marrow donors]

Abstract

We describe our experience of the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología in Mexico City in the management of 22 healthy donors of the allogeneic bone marrow transplantation program. Twenty three bone marrow products were harvested from the 22 healthy donors (7 male, 15 female) with a median age of 26 (range 16 to 47). All were seronegative for HIV, HBV and HCV. The volume harvested ranged from 750 to 1500 mL. The postoperative hemoglobin dropped more than 3 g/dL in 14 donors but only seven required the transfusion of autologous blood collected before the procedure. All donors received a standard analgesic regimen with meperidene, dextropropoxiphene and ketoprofen for 24 hours after the harvest. Only two instances of procedure complications were recorded (9%) and were successfully resolved. Currently all donors are alive and in good health with a median follow up of two years. We conclude that bone marrow donation is a safe procedure with some predictable complications, the most common, anemia, easily corrected with autologous blood transfusion.