Allograft patient education

Nurse: As you know, you’ll have your procedure soon.

Patient: Yes, but frankly, I don’t get what an allograft exactly is!

Nurse: It is the transplant of an organ or tissue from one individual to another, or in your case, a stem-cell transfusion. You’ll see the doctor soon and he’ll tell you about the operation and the possible risks. You will also meet the graft coordinator to set up your pre-graft file, taking into account the compatibility of the chosen donor in order to check the blood analysis, the medical imagery and the legal aspects. After the second medical consultation, the care-coordinator nurse will see you, along with your family, to go over again through the medical information, explain the grafting procedure and answer your questions.

Patient: And what about the hospitalization?

Nurse: A nurse will check that you have understood all the procedure. She’ll explain the functioning of the surgery department, time of meals, visits, blood tests, vitals signs check up, and the doctors’ daily visits.

Patient: But shouldn’t the medical information have already been collected?

Nurse: This is the protocol. We go through the same information over and over again to be sure about every tiny detail. We will also fill in your identification file and ask you to wear an identification bracelet. You’ll also have an IV the following day. The intern will see you for a pre-grafting clinical check up. And you’ll have a prophylactic antiviral and antibiotic treatment on the day of the procedure.

Patient: And that will be it, I guess!

Nurse: There’s still the preparation procedure to receive the hematopoetic stem-cell graft after the chemotherapy and radiotherapy for your leukemia. On the day of the transplantation, you’ll be informed as soon as the graft arrives. We will check that all the procedure is complied by and inform you about the possible side effects of the transfusion and check your vital signs. This generally takes about an hour.

Patient: What kind of side effects?

Nurse: There might be a hyperthermia and hemolysis risk. Or aplasia, that is immunodeficiency. So you will be kept in a sterile environment to avoid the risk of infections. You’ll be given an immunosuppression treatment the night before the transplant is done. We will stay around you after the grafting to watch over you and make sure everything goes well.

Patient: So this means I can’t leave the hospital just after the graft has been done, can I?

Nurse: It depends on your overall health condition. We take into account the graft-versus-host reaction, if any, the renal and hepatic functions, the risk of infections and possible needs of transfusion. If everything is ok, the nurse will see you for your discharge, and give you tips on lifestyle and health practices.

Patient: Can I get the donor’s name to express my gratefulness for saving my life?

Nurse: Organ donation is anonymous. But you can address a letter that will be transmitted to the donor by the qualified authorities.