Analgesic infiltration at the site of bone marrow harvest significantly reduces donor morbidity

Little information has been published concerning the severity of pain experienced by bone marrow donors or the use of local analgesia following bone marrow harvesting procedures. The aims of this study were to assess duration and severity of pain experienced by bone marrow donors and the effectiveness of bupivacaine as a local analgesic agent following bone marrow harvest. During a single blinded randomised study of 24 bone marrow donors, 10 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine was infiltrated either into the right or left posterior iliac crest of the donor immediately following bone marrow harvest. Donors were requested to record the level of pain experienced at the right and left harvest sites on a pain rating score sheet (0-10) at time intervals of 4, 8, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h following harvest. A significant reduction in pain was experienced at the harvest site infiltrated with bupivacaine when compared with the control site during the first 3 days post-harvest. It is recommended that bupivacaine be infiltrated routinely into the harvest sites of all bone marrow donors to reduce the pain experienced in the 3 days following harvest.