Why the flat bones for bone marrow aspiration?

Nursing Students Student Assist

Published

Specializes in LTC.

The only answer I could find is becasue the flat bones are where the bone marrow is located? Is that an acceptible answer? My instructors tend to ask questions on the study guides.:rolleyes: :p

Up Vote Up Vote ×

The marrow is located thru the entire length of the bone. You want an area that is the easiest to get to, plus if there is much curvature to the area, you can have a higher incidence of fracturing the bone. Remember that there is quite a bit of pressure that is used to obtain the marrow, you have to go thru the bone to get it.

So the easiest is place to obtain it ,and usually first choice, is the iliac crest.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.
The only answer I could find is becasue the flat bones are where the bone marrow is located? Is that an acceptible answer? My instructors tend to ask questions on the study guides.:rolleyes: :p

Yes, that is correct. By the teenage years, bone marrow is found mostly in the flat bones (skull, scapulae, ribs, pelvis, sternum, and vertebrae). Flat bones consist of a layer of spongy bone between the two thin layers of compact bone. Their cross-section is flat, not rounded. Flat bones have marrow, but not a bone marrow cavity.

The pelvis (hip bone) is the bone of choice for a biopsy because it is a large bone and an adequate sample of bone marrow can be obtained. The most common collection site is the iliac crest (top ridge) of the hip bone. The sternum is a site usuallly used only for marrow examination or aspiration (not biopsy), especially in children. The disadvantage is the bone is thin and a piece cannot be taken because of a risk of breaking the bone. In children, samples may also be collected from a vertebrae in the back or from the femur (thigh bone).

The patient is asked to lie down on his stomach or side for the collection and his lower body is draped with cloths so that only the area surrounding the site is exposed.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/1129.htm

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003934.htm

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_6X_Leukemia_Classifications_24.asp

http://www.dublinoncology.com/bone-marrow.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/factfiles/shapeandstructure/femur.shtml

http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/bone_marrow/glance.html

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC.

Wow that was fast, thank you SOOOO much!!:) :) :)

This site is so great, and I'm so thankful for wonderful people like you!!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

sorry! i got in late on answering this one! the answer is very simply, they are the safest sites to access.

http://www.pathology.vcu.edu/education/lymph/how%20to%20marrow.pdf - this is a complete 14 page description of the procedure with nice color pictures put together by physicians from the medical college of virginia, the mayo clinic and the marshall university school of medicine. check out page 6, which is where the sites for bone marrow aspiration is discussed.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment