Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 4/2/2008

Question
I was with a friend of mine when she had a bone marrow biopsy and it was so painful that her whole body shook afterwards. The person who performed this procedure at the hospital told me that the shaking was her body's reaction from the pain she had gone through. My niece who was just 18 at the time had Burkett's Lymphoma and was in the hospital having chemo one week out of  every month.  They did a bone marrow biosy on her and gave her an amnestic.  They told her parents, my sister and her husband that they would hear their daughter screaming because she would scream. I am a pretty compassionate person and was outraged, but could not say anything.  My sister said they heard her screaming, but afterwards they asked her how it was and she said she didn't remember.  I don't think their is any excuse for this.  I have read on line where people will not have a bone marrow biopsy (who have had them in the past) unless they are under general anesthesia. Would appreciate your thoughts on this.  Thank you.

Answer
Generally speaking, a bone marrow biopsy is a very short procedure and they should give some local in the area in addition to the amnestic. I don't know many anesthesiologists that would do a general anesthetic for this because it would take longer to do the anesthetic than the case, there are some risks to anesthesia (although very small) and the amnestic works very well. I'm sorry that the family had to hear all that but the more important is the patient who didn't remember anything.

Ronald Levy, MD
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston