Stem cell transplant at Hyderabad hospital saves 10-month-old with rare bone marrow disorder

A 10-month-old boy with a rare bone marrow disorder receives life-saving stem cell transplant at Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad.

A 10-month-old boy suffering from a rare inherited bone marrow failure disorder has been successfully treated with a haploidentical stem cell transplant at Yashoda Hospitals in Hyderabad.

The child, M. Khadar Armaan, was brought to the hospital on December 26, 2025, after he showed persistently low platelet counts. Born to Mulla Khaja and Reshme from Nandavaram in Kurnool district, he developed sudden respiratory distress while feeding soon after admission, leading to hypoxia and bradycardia. He was immediately intubated and placed on mechanical ventilation in the paediatric intensive care unit, where he remained for four days.

Following evaluation, doctors diagnosed the child with congenital amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia, a rare condition marked by severe thrombocytopenia and a high risk of bleeding. According to Dr. Ashok Kumar Pillai, senior Hemato-Oncologist and Bone Marrow Transplant Specialist at the hospital, the only curative treatment for the disorder is allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

After counselling the parents and obtaining consent, the medical team initiated preparations for a transplant. As no fully matched donor was available, the child’s father was evaluated and selected as a haploidentical donor. The transplant, using paternal stem cells, was successfully performed on January 8.

Post-transplant, the infant showed steady recovery under round-the-clock monitoring and critical care support. As his platelet counts improved, ventilatory assistance was gradually withdrawn, as per a release.