BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT

This a procedure that replaces abnormal or missing marrow cells with healthy cells.

The bone marrow is the tissue in certain bones that normally makes blood cells. If the bone marrow does not work properly, our body becomes deficient in those cell lines, which then can cause severe anemia, issues with bleeding and risk of fatal infections.  Putting healthy donor cells into the bone marrow treats this condition. Donor cells can come from you, people related to you, people not related to you but with blood match, or from umbilical cord blood that matches yours.

The right type of bone marrow transplant will depend on your cancer type, age, other health conditions and possible donors.

Some of the common indications for bone marrow transplant are:

• Blood cancers
• Inherited Blood disorders like Thalassemia, sickle cell disease
• Inherited and acquired Immune disorders
• Bone marrow failure: aplastic anemia, Fanconi anemia
• Some auto immune disorders

Inherited metabolic disorders

Your doctor will explain you and your family what to expect before, during and after the procedure. There is an extensive preparation before the actual procedure so that your body does not reject donor cells, which includes chemotherapy and/or radiation to kill cancer cells. Then you will be injected with donor cells through the vein whereby the donor cells find their way to bone marrow and start making new cells.

After treatment, most patients need to stay in hospital for weeks to months to recover for close follow up, monitoring and further treatment. Since you are at great risk of infection after the procedure, you will need to stay in special rooms with extreme infection prevention precautions and receive medications. Once your bone marrow functions return to normal, you will be discharged home with follow up recommendations.

KIDNEY TRANSPLANT

This a surgery performed to place a donated kidney into a person whose kidneys are diseased and non-functioning. You may need kidney transplant to treat acute or chronic kidney failure.

Kidney for transplant is acquired from either a living donor or dead donor.

After your doctor establishes the need for kidney transplant, you will be transferred to transplant center.  The transplant team will then meet with you to determine your eligibility for kidney transplant (you need to meet certain criteria for the transplant) and perform a slew of blood tests and imaging studies. Donor also needs to meet certain criteria to donate the kidney. In addition, in most cases, donor’s blood needs to match yours. If you can’t get a matched donor, you can be put in a wait list.

In most cases, people do well after the surgery. You may need to stay in hospital post-surgery for recovery and for observation. Some of the things to look for include rejection of transplant and side effects of anti-rejection medicine.

LIVER TRANSPLANT

This is a type of surgery where your diseased liver is replaced with a healthy liver. Liver transplant is indicated in various disease condition of liver including:

• Liver failure from hepatitis, cirrhosis
• Metabolic diseases
• Liver cancers

You will need liver transplant if you have severe liver disease. Before liver transplant, your doctor will probably try other treatments and recommend transplant of all other measures fail. You will be sent to liver transplant center where you will have to go through various tests and exams to determine your eligibility for transplant. If you meet those conditions, you will put on the waiting list for liver transplant. Few people may get transplant from their family or friend.

After transplant, you will need to stay in hospital for recovery and monitoring for any sign of graft rejections and other side effects of surgery. You will hat risk for infections from reduced immunity and will need to take extra precautions. You will also need lifelong medications called “anti-rejection medications”.