Abstract
Critical illness requiring support in an intensive care unit (ICU) is common after
blood and marrow transplantation, occurring in > 20% in some series. Attempts have
been made to identify patients at highest risk of respiratory, cardiac, hepatic, and
renal failure before trans plantation. Whereas demographic features, such as age and
presence of active malignancy, are strongly associated with complications after transplant,
only a few specific laboratory studies are useful in identifying high-risk individuals.
Pulmonary function testing is associated with fatal pulmonary complications, and hepatic
function tests are associated with fatal veno-occlusive disease of the liver. Knowledge
of the predictive value of specific risk factors is important to the evaluation of
patients considered for transplant.
