Critical care of the hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipient

An estimated 50,000 to 60,000 patients undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) worldwide annually, of which 15.7% are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). The most common reason for ICU admission is respiratory failure and almost all develop single or multiorgan failure. Most HSCT recipients admitted to ICU receive invasive mechanical ventilation (MV). The overall short-term mortality rate of HSCT recipients admitted to ICU is 65%, and 86.4% for those receiving MV. Patient outcome has improved over time. Poor prognostic indicators include advanced age, poor functional status, active disease at transplant, allogeneic transplant, the severity of acute illness, and the development of multiorgan failure. ICU resource limitations often lead to triage decisions for admission. For HSCT recipients, the authors recommend (1) ICU admission for full support during their pre-engraftment period and when there is no evidence of disease recurrence; (2) no ICU admission for patients who refuse it and those who are bedridden with disease recurrence and without treatment options except palliation; (3) a trial ICU admission for patients with unknown status of disease recurrence with available treatment options.