When the donor has finished donating the cells for the day, the numbers of cells from the collection are counted and quality control is performed. The bag of fresh cells is then delivered to the ward. When the stem cells are given, we routinely attach the patient to a monitor that measures their heart rate and their oxygen saturation. The bag of stem cells is then hung beside the bed and infused through the central line. The infusion usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
Most patients do like to celebrate the re-infusion of stem cells somehow.
The stem cells find their way back to the bone marrow where they attached themselves to the supporting cells and start to grow.