St. David’s South Austin Medical Center recently performed its first outpatient bone marrow transplant (BMT) procedure, furthering its commitment to redefining the level and quality of cancer care that is available in Central Texas.
An outpatient (versus inpatient) BMT procedure allows patients to go home each day to recover, adding personal comfort during a challenging time. This is a significant benefit to cancer patients who require long-term hospital care.
Outpatient BMTs are ideal for patients who have blood cancers, but who are otherwise physically healthy. Patients must also have a dedicated care partner to drive them to the clinic each day, and they must commit to doing so for 21 days.
As you may recall, St. David’s South Austin Medical Center performed Austin’s first adult hematopoietic stem cell transplant—a type of BMT—in 2014, allowing patients suffering from blood cancers to receive treatment right here in Austin. Before, they would have to travel to Dallas or San Antonio for this type of treatment, where patients often had to stay for weeks or even months.
These advancements in oncology care are part of St. David’s CancerCare, a more coordinated and comprehensive approach to providing cancer services in Central Texas. St. David’s CancerCare—a partnership between St. David’s HealthCare and Sarah Cannon, the global cancer enterprise of HCA (Hospital Corporation of America)—allows patients in the Austin region to receive a wide array of specialized cancer services, including BMTs, without having to travel to other regions.
To date, St. David’s South Austin Medical Center has performed seven outpatient BMTs.
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