Authors' recommendations: Bone marrow is the soft tissue at the center of most large bones in the body. The primary function of bone marrow is to produce blood cells including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Bone marrow examination is an important part of the diagnosis and management of many patients with blood disorders. The three main procedures that require access to bone marrow are aspiration of the more fluid portion of the bone marrow, biopsy of a small core of the more solid bone marrow tissue, and bone marrow harvesting prior to transplantation. There are an estimated 3.9 million bone marrow procedures done each year around the world, and more than 700,000 in the United States. Typically, bone marrow is sampled from a portion of the pelvic bone, which is accessed through the lower back. Manual bone marrow sampling involves insertion of a hollow needle into the pelvic bone under local anesthetic, and aspiration of fluid bone marrow, followed by biopsy of the more solid bone marrow tissue, if required. Bone marrow procedures can be quite painful for the patient, and may require multiple attempts if an adequate sample cannot be obtained the first time.

Project Status: Completed

Year Published: 2011

URL for published report: http://www.hayesinc.com/hayes/crd/?crd=12998

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: United States

Organisation Name: HAYES, Inc.

Contact Address: 157 S. Broad Street, Suite 200, Lansdale, PA 19446, USA. Tel: 215 855 0615; Fax: 215 855 5218

Contact Name: saleinfo@hayesinc.com

Contact Email: saleinfo@hayesinc.com

Copyright: 2011 Winifred S. Hayes, Inc