Laminar air flow versus barrier nursing in marrow transplant recipients

Forty-eight patients with acute leukaemia in relapse (n = 14), acute leukaemia in complete remission (n = 19), chronic myeloid leukaemia (n = 8) or severe aplastic anaemia (n = 7) received a marrow transplant. The first 26 patients were nursed in laminar-air-flow plastic isolators while the next 22 patients were treated in barrier nursing rooms. Gnotobiotic parameters and morbidity in the 2 groups are compared. Good decontamination of the gastro-intestinal tract was obtained using either of the 2 isolation techniques. The incidence of bacterial and mycotic infections, as well as the supportive care required by the patients was almost equal in both groups. Our results also suggest that the incidence of graft versus host disease may decrease with efficient decontamination of the patients.