• Profile
Close

Bengaluru doctors save life of 4-year-old boy with bloodless bone marrow transplant

Partner Content Jan 18, 2020

The boy belongs to the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith, the followers of which cannot take blood transfusions as treatment.

It is not rare for doctors to take young children for bone marrow transplants. In fact, it is one of the most effective treatments for certain forms of leukaemia and other disorders. However, when the individual in question belongs to a faith which doesn’t permit them to get a normal blood transfusion, how do doctors tackle such a challenge? Bloodless bone marrow transplants are given to individuals belonging to the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith, and this was exactly the method used by doctors in Bengaluru to save a 4-year-old boy.

The patient and his parents hail from Tanzania. The boy’s parents are both IT professionals who moved to Bengaluru in 2018 for his treatment. He was diagnosed with a form of abdominal cancer and required a bone marrow transplant to treat him. However, the standard procedure to initiate a bone marrow transplant involves getting a blood transfusion. As he and his parents belong to the Jehovah’s Witnesses community, it was not allowed for him to undergo the routine transplant.

“We don’t usually opt for this form of treatment, however in this instance we had to opt for a bloodless transfusion,” explains Dr Sunil Bhatt, director and clinical lead of paediatric oncology (children’s cancer specialist) at Bengaluru’s Mazumdar Shaw Cancer Centre.

“In this process, we obtain and harvest stem cells from the individual’s own bone marrow. These cells are then later reintroduced into the individual’s body to restore their bone marrow. It takes about three weeks for the new marrow cells to regenerate,” he explains about the procedure.

He also notes that while a standard procedure is less risky, for individuals who are not allowed to undergo blood transfusions, this is an alternative method.

The boy underwent the procedure in September 2019 following which a team of doctors had been monitoring him to ensure that his vital signs were stabilising. After spending months at the hospital under observation, the doctors have stated that the boy is recovering well.

 

This story was originally published on The News Minute and is reprinted here with permission. It can be viewed here.

Only Doctors with an M3 India account can read this article. Sign up for free or login with your existing account.
4 reasons why Doctors love M3 India
  • Exclusive Write-ups & Webinars by KOLs

  • Nonloggedininfinity icon
    Daily Quiz by specialty
  • Nonloggedinlock icon
    Paid Market Research Surveys
  • Case discussions, News & Journals' summaries
Sign-up / Log In
x
M3 app logo
Choose easy access to M3 India from your mobile!


M3 instruc arrow
Add M3 India to your Home screen
Tap  Chrome menu  and select "Add to Home screen" to pin the M3 India App to your Home screen
Okay