Successful Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplant for Aplastic Anaemia

December 30, 2025

Patient Background and Presentation

A 28-year-old man from Malda arrived at Desun Hospital with persistent fatigue, recurrent infections, and unexplained bruising. His symptoms had been progressing for months, severely affecting his daily life and ability to work. Initial blood tests performed at a local facility had shown pancytopenia, which means low haemoglobin, low white blood cell count, and low platelets, suggesting a serious underlying bone marrow disorder.

At Desun’s Haematology department, comprehensive investigations were initiated. Bone marrow biopsy revealed severe aplastic anaemia, a life-threatening condition in which the bone marrow fails to produce blood cells. Given the severity of disease and the patient’s young age, the haematology team recommended an allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) as the definitive curative therapy.  

Pre-Transplant Evaluation and Donor Selection

The transplant team began a meticulous pre-BMT workup, including infectious disease screening, organ function assessments, HLA typing, and psychosocial evaluation. Simultaneously, HLA matching was performed among his family members. His younger sister was found to be a full HLA match, making her an ideal donor. After counselling the family regarding the transplant process, risks, and long-term outcomes, the team prepared the patient for conditioning therapy—a crucial process involving immunosuppressive drugs and chemotherapy to eradicate diseased bone marrow and create space for donor stem cells.

With Desun Hospital attaining JCI (Joint Commission International) accreditation, the global gold standard in patient safety and quality care, the BMT programme now operates within globally benchmarked safety, infection control, and transplant monitoring standards. This strengthened framework was especially crucial during conditioning therapy, stem cell infusion, and engraftment monitoring, phases where international precision and sterility protocols significantly impact outcomes.  

Bone Marrow Transplant Procedure

The transplant took place in Desun’s dedicated BMT unit, designed with HEPA-filtered, positive-pressure rooms to maintain sterile conditions. The donor’s stem cells were collected via peripheral blood stem cell harvesting, a safe and painless procedure. The patient then received the donor stem cells through a controlled infusion, similar to a blood transfusion. The crucial post-infusion period—when the new marrow begins to engraft—was closely monitored by transplant physicians, nurses, dietitians, and infection control experts.  

Post-Transplant Monitoring and Complication Management

The first few weeks after BMT are critical due to risks of infection, bleeding, and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Desun’s transplant team provided 24×7 monitoring of blood counts, kidney and liver function, and signs of GVHD. Strict neutropenic precautions, specialised nutrition, and prophylactic antibiotics minimised complication risks. The patient had mild skin GVHD, which was managed promptly with immunosuppressive medications, preventing further progression. By Day +18, his blood counts began to rise indicating successful engraftment.  

Recovery, Long-Term Follow-Up, and Outcome

After 32 days, the patient was stable enough for discharge with detailed home-care guidelines and a strict follow-up schedule. Over the next six months, he showed steady improvement, gained weight, resumed physical activity, and gradually returned to normal life. As of now, he leads a healthy, productive life and remains in complete remission. This case reflects Desun Hospital’s capability in advanced bone marrow transplant, combining state-of-the-art BMT infrastructure, infection-controlled units, expert transplant specialists, and compassionate care to deliver life-changing outcomes.