Critical care issues in bone marrow transplantation

Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is an often used therapeutic modality for patients with refractory leukemia as well as for those with other lethal disorders of the lymphohematopoietic system. The extremely high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy required to prepare patients for BMT, however, render these individuals susceptible to a variety of disorders in the first few months following transplantation. This article reviews the primary causes of nonleukemic mortality in the early post-transplant period.