Receiving CAR T-Cell Therapy in the Hospital
Preparing for Admission
You will be admitted to Brigham and Women’s Hospital or the Dana-Farber Inpatient Hospital (located within Brigham and Women’s). The inpatient care team will be new to you, but they will be in close contact with your outpatient care team throughout your admission. They have a great deal of training and experience in taking care of CAR T-cell therapy patients.
Though every patient is different, most patients are in the hospital for 1 to 3 weeks. The length of your inpatient stay will be determined by how you are feeling, your blood counts, and the side effects you experience.
What to Bring to the Hospital
The hospital will provide hospital gowns, pants, socks, bed linens, and toiletries. You can bring your own clothing to wear while in the hospital. The hospital does not provide laundry service for your personal clothing, so you should bring enough items that will allow you to send clothing home for washing periodically.
Your hospital room will have a television, telephone, DVD player, and wireless Internet access. You can bring your own personal devices, such as a laptop, tablet, and/or cell phone. Be sure to also bring any chargers for your devices. We recommend that you do NOT bring money, jewelry, or other valuables to the hospital.
While You Are in the Hospital
Every morning and afternoon, you will be visited by an attending physician and a physician assistant (PA) who is experienced in caring for CAR T-cell therapy patients to see how you are feeling and responding to treatment, and to address any concerns. Depending on your needs and the side effects you experience, other specialists (e.g., neurologist) may be involved in your care. If you experience severe side effects, you may be transferred to a specialized intensive care unit for a period of time.
We encourage you to be as active as you feel you can be. You can take walks around the unit if you feel up to it. However, we encourage you to rest when needed, in order to allow your immune system time to recover.
Visitor Guidelines
Family and friends may visit you in the hospital if you are feeling up to it.
Discharge Planning
A nurse care coordinator will help you prepare for your transition home. They can assist in setting up nursing services to come to your home (often the visiting nurse association, or VNA) or rehab services as needed. We will also provide you with a medical card that identifies you as having received CAR T-cell therapy. You should present this card to any medical professional you see following your CAR T-cell treatment.
You will be admitted to Brigham and Women’s Hospital or the Dana-Farber Inpatient Hospital (located within Brigham and Women’s). The inpatient care team will be new to you, but they will be in close contact with your outpatient care team throughout your admission. They have a great deal of training and experience in taking care of CAR T-cell therapy patients.
Though every patient is different, most patients are in the hospital for 1 to 3 weeks. The length of your inpatient stay will be determined by how you are feeling, your blood counts, and the side effects you experience.
What to Bring to the Hospital
The hospital will provide hospital gowns, pants, socks, bed linens, and toiletries. You can bring your own clothing to wear while in the hospital. The hospital does not provide laundry service for your personal clothing, so you should bring enough items that will allow you to send clothing home for washing periodically.
Your hospital room will have a television, telephone, DVD player, and wireless Internet access. You can bring your own personal devices, such as a laptop, tablet, and/or cell phone. Be sure to also bring any chargers for your devices. We recommend that you do NOT bring money, jewelry, or other valuables to the hospital.
While You Are in the Hospital
Every morning and afternoon, you will be visited by an attending physician and a physician assistant (PA) who is experienced in caring for CAR T-cell therapy patients to see how you are feeling and responding to treatment, and to address any concerns. Depending on your needs and the side effects you experience, other specialists (e.g., neurologist) may be involved in your care. If you experience severe side effects, you may be transferred to a specialized intensive care unit for a period of time.
We encourage you to be as active as you feel you can be. You can take walks around the unit if you feel up to it. However, we encourage you to rest when needed, in order to allow your immune system time to recover.
Visitor Guidelines
Family and friends may visit you in the hospital if you are feeling up to it.
- Family and friends are encouraged to visit between 1 to 9 p.m. to allow time in the morning for your health and personal care needs to be met by the care team. It is helpful to limit the numbers of visitors to 2 at a time.
- Visitors should be free from flu-like symptoms, fever, cough, or illnesses of any kind.
- Children age 12 and younger must be supervised by an adult (other than the patient) at all times and are only permitted to visit if they have a family link to the patient.
Discharge Planning
A nurse care coordinator will help you prepare for your transition home. They can assist in setting up nursing services to come to your home (often the visiting nurse association, or VNA) or rehab services as needed. We will also provide you with a medical card that identifies you as having received CAR T-cell therapy. You should present this card to any medical professional you see following your CAR T-cell treatment.