The availability of HEPA-filtered rooms and the incidence of pneumonia in patients after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT): results from a prospective, multicentre, eastern European study.

Aims And Objectives: To establish the availability of High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA)- and nonHEPA-filtered rooms in eastern European transplant centres and to investigate the impact on incidence of pneumonia and mortality after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

Background: Barrier nursing in HEPA-filtered rooms is generally recommended for patients undergoing HSCT. There are only limited data on the availability of HEPA-filtered rooms and the impact on incidence of pneumonia and mortality.

Higher incidence of chemotherapy induced oral mucositis in females: a supplement of multivariate analysis to a randomized multicentre study.

Study on the normal saline vs povidone-iodine mouthwashes for oral mucositis (OM) prophylaxis in patients after high-dose chemotherapy comprising bischloroethyl nitrosourea etoposide ara-C melphalan (BEAM) or high-dose melphalan (HD-L-PAM) followed by autologous peripheral stem cell transplantation indicated that females have higher a incidence of OM compared to men, as reported by [Vokurka et al. 13:554-558, (2005)]. The multivariable analysis of larger cohort of 148 patients compliant with the original study protocol confirmed female gender to be an independent risk factor and predictor for OM.

The comparative effects of povidone-iodine and normal saline mouthwashes on oral mucositis in patients after high-dose chemotherapy and APBSCT--results of a randomized multicentre study.

Antimicrobial solutions are widely used in the nursing care of chemotherapy induced oral mucositis (OM). There is little evidence, however, supporting their use for reducing mucosal damage. In our study, 132 patients were randomized to use normal saline (n=65) or povidone-iodine diluted 1:100 (n=67) mouthwashes for OM prophylaxis and treatment after high-dose chemotherapy comprising BEAM or HD-L-PAM followed by autologous peripheral stem cell transplantation.