A MARROW HARVEST PROCEDURE UNDER LOCAL-ANESTHESIA

This report details a bone marrow harvest procedure performed outside the hospital setting under local anesthesia, thereby avoiding many of the risks associated with the traditional surgical procedure. In appro ximately 30 minutes, 450 milliliters of marrow can be collected from e ight bone punctures, containing a median of 4.18x10(9) cells and 33x10 (6) progenitor cells as defined by CD34 expression. Reinfusion of a me dian 1.2x10(6) CD34(+) cells/kg in 10 breast cancer and lung cancer pa tients after dose-intensive chemotherapy resulted in the recovery of g ranulocytes >100/mm(3) by day 14 and platelets >20,000 by day 21. With out progenitor cell support, such recoveries could take 30 and 40 days , respectively. Collection of marrow using this protocol does not comp romise the engraftment capability of the progenitor cells, seldom nece ssitates blood product support, is safer for the patient, and reduces the cost of harvesting by 75% compared to inpatient or day surgery pro cedures.