New Delhi, December 18 (HS): For the first time in India, doctors of the Department of Haematology and Stem Cell Transplantation at Army Hospital R&R (AHRR), Delhi Cantt, have performed a bone marrow transplant (BMT) on seven-year-old child Sushant Paudel. This successful transplant has also opened new doors of hope for children and their families facing health challenges due to this disease. This is a rare immunodeficiency disorder in which the Army medical fraternity has achieved its first success.
The commandant of the Army Hospital, Lieutenant General Ajit Neelakantan, said that Sushant, the 7-year-old son of soldier Pradeep Paudel, was often ill. At the age of one, he was diagnosed with ARPC1B, a rare immunodeficiency disorder. It’s a condition that has seriously affected his immune system. Because of this, he was repeatedly at risk of facing life-threatening infections and other complications. She was referred to the Army Hospital (R&R) six months ago, but they did not have a matching sibling donor available.
He said the team from the hospital’s haematology department then began an arduous journey to find a suitable donor and carefully arrange for the bone marrow transplant. After finding a suitable donor, his healthy stem cells were extracted on November 30, and those stem cells were infused into Sushant Paudel’s bloodstream. After this, Sushant’s defective cells were destroyed by high doses of chemotherapy. The aim of this procedure was to replace the defective immune cells with healthy ones, thereby giving Sushant Paudel a healthy and vibrant life.
After the successful transplant, Commandant Neelakantan said that it was due to the efforts of the AHRR team that success in the treatment of this patient was achieved. Brigadier Rajan Kapoor, Head of the Department of Haematology, said that this journey of Sushant Paudel is no less than a miracle. This achievement is a living testament to the combined efforts of our dedicated medical team, the unwavering support of Sushant’s family, and the generosity of our donors. To our knowledge, this is the first such transplant done for this immunodeficiency disorder in India.
Colonel Rajeev Kumar, senior consultant in the department of haematology, said the availability of donor stem cells is truly a game changer for patients suffering from life-threatening immunodeficiency disorders. Lieutenant Colonel Sanjeev Kheda, a paediatric haematologist at the hospital, said the presence of multiple active infections at the time of the transplant had made the case very challenging and high-risk. Despite this, the successful bone marrow transplant has not only brought moments of joy to Sushant and his family, but it has also given hope to countless others suffering from rare primary immunodeficiency and similar disorders who can be cured by a timely bone marrow transplant.
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