Are Protected Environments Necessary for Recipients of Bone Marrow Transplants?

Letters1 July 1994Are Protected Environments Necessary for Recipients of Bone Marrow Transplants?Jacob M. Rowe, MD and Hillard M. Lazarus, MDJacob M. Rowe, MDUniversity of Rochester Medical Center; Rochester, NY 14642University Hospitals of Cleveland; Cleveland, OH 44106 and Hillard M. Lazarus, MDUniversity of Rochester Medical Center; Rochester, NY 14642University Hospitals of Cleveland; Cleveland, OH 44106Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-121-1-199407010-00027 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We appreciate the opportunity to review the issue of protective environments for recipients of bone marrow transplantation. The precise need for protection from airborne organisms is controversial. Most patients are treated in single rooms with some form of protective isolation, which varies from handwashing before entering the room to the use of laminar air flow along with sterile food and gut and skin decontamination. The choice of protective environment is affected by the type of transplantation, the duration of neutropenia and immunosuppression, and the institutional prevalence of Aspergillus species [1]. Concern about infection with Aspergillus is the most ...References1. Sherertz RJ, Belani A, Kramer BS, Elfenbein GJ, Weiner RS, Sullivan ML, et al. Impact of air filtration on nosocomial aspergillus infections: unique risk of bone marrow transplant recipients. Am J Med. 1987; 83:709-18. Google Scholar2. Bucker CD, Clift RA, Sanders JE, Meyers JD, Counts GW, Farewell VT, et al. Protective environment for marrow transplant recipients. A prospective study. Ann Intern Med. 1978; 89:893-901. Google Scholar3. Storb R, Prentice RL, Buckner CD, Clift RA, Appelbaum F, Deeg J, et al. Graft-versus-host disease and survival in patients with aplastic anemia in patients treated by marrow grafts by HLA identical siblings. Beneficial effects of a protective environment. N Engl J Med. 1983; 308:302-7. Google Scholar4. Russell JA, Poon MC, Jones AR, Woodman RC, Ruether BA. Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation without protective isolation in adults with malignant disease. Lancet. 1992; 339:38-40. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of Rochester Medical Center; Rochester, NY 14642University Hospitals of Cleveland; Cleveland, OH 44106 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byProtective Isolation in Hemopoietic Stem Cell Transplants: A Review of the Literature and Single Institution ExperienceInvasive pulmonary aspergillosis in neutropenic patients during hospital construction: Before and after chemoprophylaxis and institution of HEPA filtersInvasive aspergillosis in severely neutropenic patients over 18 years: impact of intranasal amphotericin B and HEPA filtration 1 July 1994Volume 121, Issue 1Page: 76KeywordsAspergillosisBone marrow transplantationDecontaminationGraft vs host diseaseHospitalizationsInfectious diseasesMortalityNeutropeniaParticulatesTransplantation Issue Published: 1 July 1994 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1994 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...