Bone Marrow Aspiration and Biopsy

Biopsy, Bone Marrow

How To Prepare

You will be asked to sign a consent form. Talk to your doctor about any concerns you have about the need for the aspiration or biopsy, its risks, how it will be done, or what the results may mean. To help you understand the importance of the biopsy, fill out the medical test information form(What is a PDF document?).

Tell your doctor if you:

• Are taking any medicines.
• Are allergic to any medicine, including anesthetics.
• Have any bleeding problems or take blood-thinners, such as ASA, heparin, or warfarin (Coumadin).
• Are or might be pregnant.

Arrange for someone to drive you home after the biopsy because you may be given a medicine (sedative) to help you relax.

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Author:	Douglas Dana Kathe Gallagher, MSW Jan Nissl, RN, BS	Last Updated: March 21, 2007
Medical Review:	Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Joseph O'Donnell, MD - Hematology/Oncology Andrew Swan, MD, CCFP, FCFP - Family Medicine
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