What happens on cell day?

Pre-medications are given to you 30 minutes prior to the time of infusion. These will usually consist of Piriton, hydrocortisone and paracetamol. You will also receive anti-sickness in the form of IV Ondansetron. At this time your nurse will put an IV line up with saline to ensure your line is patent and has a good flow. If there are any concerns regarding this we may need to insert a cannula.  

Lab staff from Blood Transfusion come to the ward to defrost your cells using a water bath heated to around 37 degrees. The nurse will be present in the room for the duration of the infusion. The length of time this process takes will vary depending on the number of bags of cells that you get, roughly around 15 mins per bag. During this time it’s important that you tell your nurse if you feel different in any way. 

On completion of the cells your observations will be taken and you will continue to be monitored.  

Pre-medications are given to you 30 minutes prior to the time of infusion. These will usually consist of Piriton, hydrocortisone and paracetamol.  Hydrocortisone may be omitted if your protocol doesn’t allow steroids to be given. You will also receive anti-sickness in the form of Ondansetron. At this time your nurse will put an IV line up with saline to ensure your line is patient and has a good flow. If there are any concerns regarding this we may need to insert a cannula.  

A time for when your cells leave Gartnavel will be arranged in the morning. Once your cells arrive on the ward you will be given your pre-med. After carrying out their checks your nurse will hang your cells. They will remain in the room with you for the first 30 mins of the infusion, the length of which will depend on the volume of cells to be given and if there is any difference in blood groups between you and your donor.  

Prior to cell infusion your nurse will explain your Immune Effector Cell-Associated Encephalopathy (ICE) scoring. This will involve you answering a series of questions and writing a sentence of your choice. When thinking of your sentence we would recommend something short and easy to remember. A time for the infusion will be arranged on the morning of your cells. Pre-medications of Piriton and paracetamol are given one hour pre cell infusion. At this time an IV line with saline will be hung to check your line has a good flow.  

During your infusion your nurse, a pharmacist and a member of lab staff will be present for the duration of the infusion. Your nurse will monitor your heart rate and blood pressure throughout the infusion. The lab staff will defrost your cells using a water bath set to around 37 degrees. The cells will take roughly 10 mins per bag. Each bag will be rinsed 3 times to ensure all of the product is infused.  

Following your infusion your observations will be carried out frequently for the first 2 hours. Your ICE and Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) scoring will then be done every 8 hrs until discharge.