The medical team at Apollo overcomes several hurdles including rare blood types and young patients to treat the two children.
In a remarkable medical achievement, Apollo Hospital Ahmedabad successfully conducted complex Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) procedures on two young Syrian sisters suffering from Thalassemia major.
The genetic disorder necessitated the two young children, Asma (12) and Aya (6) to undergo blood transfusions every month. The life-saving transfusions, while essential, also led to complications arising due to iron overload. The family approached Apollo Hospital, Ahmedabad for the BMT a few months back.
The young children’s treatment journey, however, was not without hurdles. Both Asma and Aya possess the rare AB- -blood type, and arranging for blood for platelet transfusions during the transplant and post-transplant was a huge challenge. Similarly, Aya, the younger sister, did not have a fully matched HLA sibling donor. She underwent the Haploidentical (50% HLA match) BMT, with her father stepping forward as the donor. On the other hand, Asma’s donor was her 3-year-old sister Amal, who was a full HLA match, but her tender age posed its own set of challenges.
Lt General (Dr.) Velu Nair (Retd), who led the medical teams in the twin procedures, said, “These two cases presented us with a series of complex challenges, from rare blood types to very young donors. However, with careful planning and advanced medical techniques, we were able to perform the successful bone marrow transplants within the gap of a few weeks.”
Elder sister Asma underwent the Matched Sibling Donor Procedure six months back. Aya underwent the Haploidentical Stem Cell Transplant, a procedure that was a first in Gujarat, four months ago. Both patients are now doing very well without the need for blood transfusions and are also free of any complications following the BMT.
“The twin procedures were highly challenging ones but our skilled team overcame the challenges to treat the young patients and provide hope to their family. We are thankful to Asma and Aya and their families for their faith in us. The success reflects the capabilities of Apollo Hospital Ahmedabad and its commitment to pushing the boundaries of medical science and bringing hope to patients and their families,” said Neeraj Lal, COO of Apollo Hospitals Ahmedabad.