HAEMALIFE
Role of the Infectious Disease Specialist in the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit (Haemalife) at Netcare Kuils River Hospital
Patients receiving chemotherapy and undergoing bone marrow transplantation are highly vulnerable to infections due to profound and prolonged immunosuppression. Dr Philip Botha plays a critical role in supporting patient safety and outcomes throughout the transplant journey at the Haemalife Unit.
Key role at Haemalife:
- Pre-transplant infectious risk assessment, including screening for latent and active infections that may impact transplant timing or outcomes
- Development of individualised infection prevention strategies, including antimicrobial prophylaxis and vaccination planning where appropriate
- Early identification and management of complex infections, including bacterial, viral, fungal, and other opportunistic pathogens
- Management of infections related to central venous catheters, neutropenia, graft-versus-host disease, and immunosuppressive therapies
- Antimicrobial stewardship, ensuring appropriate selection, dosing, and duration of antibiotics to minimise resistance and toxicity
- Collaboration within the multidisciplinary transplant team, including haematologists, nursing staff, microbiology, pharmacy, and virology services
- Guidance on infection control practices to reduce hospital-acquired infections and protect immunocompromised patients
Close involvement of the Infectious Disease Specialist is essential in optimising transplant outcomes, reducing infection-related complications, and providing coordinated, evidence-based care in this highly specialised clinical setting.
Patients are seen either in person during a consultation or discussed during the weekly multidisciplinary ward round. As the ward round group has grown significantly, it is no longer feasible for all discussions to take place at the bedside. To accommodate the large number of involved medical professionals, ward rounds are therefore held in the Haemalife boardroom rather than at the bedside.
All patients are reviewed in detail, including microbiology and pathology results, radiology findings, and all relevant clinical information. Clinical decisions made during these meetings are integral to both current management and future treatment planning.