Final answer:
A sternal puncture is a medical procedure used to collect bone marrow from the sternum. It is used for diagnosing and treatment of certain anemias and cancers. Bone marrow transplants replace damaged bone marrow with healthy donor marrow.
Step-by-step explanation:
The puncture of the sternum with a needle to obtain a sample of bone marrow is called a sternal puncture.
This medical procedure can be performed for diagnosing and treating various conditions such as severe forms of anemia, including thalassemia major and sickle cell anemia, as well as certain types of cancer like leukemia.
Historically, bone marrow samplings were often collected from the iliac crest of the pelvic bones, but this was found to be quite painful.
Bone marrow transplants involve replacing a patient's faulty bone marrow with a donor's healthy bone marrow and stem cells.
It is important to note that lumbar punctures, which are performed in the lower lumbar area of the vertebral column, are somewhat different as they are used to sample cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
The lower lumbar region is chosen for this procedure because the spinal cord does not extend through it, making it a safer location to extract CSF without risking damage to the central nervous tissue.
In cases of meningitis, a lumbar puncture may be necessary to diagnose the presence of microorganisms in the CSF.
Regarding the treatment of microbial infections such as meningitis identified during these procedures, antibiotics are administered to kill microorganisms.
Specifically, they are effective against bacteria, which could be either gram-positive or gram-negative, as identified through the use of Gram stains.
Antibiotic treatment would not be effective against viral infections, which require a different approach to management.