Hue Central Hospital performs stem cell transplant using 18-month-old donor

Hue Central Hospital has successfully treated a 4-year-old girl from Da Nang suffering from idiopathic aplastic anemia using an allogeneic stem cell transplant. The procedure was notable because the donor was the patient's 18-month-old brother, who weighs 10 kg, making him the youngest bone marrow donor recorded in Vietnam.

Medical teams faced a significant challenge due to blood type incompatibility: the patient had blood type O, while the donor had blood type B. To address this, doctors implemented a new immunological reconciliation method by transfusing the donor's blood into the patient to reduce antibody titers. This approach allowed the team to preserve the full quantity of stem cells without needing to separate red blood cells from the stem cell bag.

The patient had been suffering from anemia, hemorrhaging, and frequent infections since early 2026. Following the transplant, her health stabilized, her blood cell lines recovered well, and she no longer requires regular blood transfusions.