Definition of Bone Marrow Graft Failure

A bone marrow graft failure can occur in patients who receive a bone marrow transplant. Patients may receive transplanted stem cells to help the immune system fight serious diseases and restore damaged bone marrow.

Graft Failure

• According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, a bone marrow graft failure can occur when transplanted stem cells do not settle into a patient’s body or produce healthy blood cells.

Graft Failure Causes

• Bone marrow graft failures can occur when an insufficient amount of stem cells are used in a transplant or when a patient has an infection, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Other Graft Complications

• The stem cell transplant procedure may result in damage to the liver or the heart, excess body fluid that cannot be excreted by the kidneys, or low levels of blood platelets or red blood cells.

Bone Marrow

• Bone marrow is spongy, soft tissue that is found inside a person’s bones and is used to manufacture blood cells.

Transplant Reasons

• A stem cell transplant may be needed to fight diseases such as leukemia, sickle cell anemia or aplastic anemia. This procedure may be necessary to replace bone marrow cells that were damaged during radiation therapy or chemotherapy.