Frequently Asked Questions

If you are the bone marrow donor, you might feel tired and lethargic after donating the cells. However you will return to normalcy in a few days or sometimes, in a few weeks. As it is a procedure done under anaesthesia, you might need to do all relevant health checks before donating. Aphersis, however is easier, except for occasional giddiness, headache and some discomfort caused mainly due to the medicines given for increasing stem cells.

You will be infused with healthy, transplanted cells in the BMT unit through an IV line – just like you’d be on drips. As there will be no disease -fighting white blood cells and blood-clotting platelets after the conditioning, your susceptibility to infections will be extremely high. You’ll need to be extremely careful so that you don’t contract any infection and follow the doctor’s advise meticulously to avoid any complications. Since the stem cells used for autologous transplantation should relatively be free of cancer cells, the harvested cells can sometimes be treated before transplantation in a process known as “purging”. This process removes maximum cancer cells from the harvested cells and minimise the chance of reoccurrence.

The post-conditioning period and 3-4 weeks post infusion are the most crucial for BMT and PBSCT patients as the chances of infection are at an all time high. Our entire medical team is trained to observe international standards when it comes to hygiene and infection control, so that you are ensured a safe, sterile environment to recuperate. The stem cells, after entering your bloodstream, travel to the bone marrow and begin to produce new white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets in a process known as “engraftment.” This usually occurs within about 2 to 4 weeks after the transplantation. Complete recovery of your immune function will take longer - up to several months for autologous transplant and 1 - 2 years for allogeneic or syngeneic transplants. We will evaluate your blood health through various tests including bone marrow aspiration to confirm whether new blood cells are being produced and there’s no relapse.

Apart from susceptibility to infection and bleeding, you may experience short-term side effects such as nausea, vomiting, fatigue, loss of appetite, mouth sores, hair loss, and skin reactions. There are also potential long-term issues that your doctor will explain in detail to you before beginning the treatment.

Called a non-myeloablative or reduced-intensity transplant, a mini uses lower, less toxic doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation to prepare you for an allogeneic transplant. ​ Called a non-myeloablative or reduced-intensity transplant, a mini uses lower, less toxic doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation to prepare you for an allogeneic transplant.

Heart transplant means replacing one’s diseased heart with a healthy donated heart. An extremely complicated procedure, is suggested only when the heart failure is so severe that it cannot be managed with medication or any other mode of treatment. Cardiac care has evolved phenomenally in the recent times, enabling us to treat complex heart problems effectively - medically and surgically. However, if the condition of the heart is such that no medications or surgical solution can bring any sort of relief, we have no choice but choose heart transplant as the way ahead. Heart transplant is done in both adults and children; and Aster Centre of Excellence in Multi-Organ Transplant has a great team of doctors comprising adult and paediatric transplant experts.

Children and infants are also highly susceptible to heart disease and might require heart transplant due to severe cardiomyopathy (weak heart muscles) and congenital heart disease that cannot be medically managed. Some children who have already undergone corrective cardiac surgeries might also require heart transplant due to re-occurrence of problems (continued cardiac problems).

If your doctor recommends a heart transplant, there are many formalities and tests you will need to complete before you undergo the surgery. You will need to go through an extensive screening process involving Radiological and Pathological Investigations. Our transplant team comprising Cardiac Surgeons, Cardiologists, Cardiac Anaesthesiologists, Pulmonologists and Pathologists will thoroughly review your reports to ensure that you’re medical fit for the surgery. We will then enlist you on the Heart Transplant List till we get notified of a suitable donor. Remember, waiting for a heart transplant might be a long drawn one for getting a donor – a suitable donor – is not easy. We will continuously monitor your health during this waiting period through regular check-ups and investigations. As soon as we get information that there is a donor heart available, we will contact you and if all factors are favourable, the transplant will be performed.

The donor from whom you get a new heart is usually someone who would have signed up for organ donation before he or she died. The heart is surgically removed, with the full consent of the donor’s family, once the donor is certified brain-dead. The availability of donor organs are informed through an organ sharing network and the recipient is chosen based on the best possible match – with respect to the blood type, body type, recipient’s medical condition, and the waiting period. The religion/ race/ gender of the donor or the recipient does not matter (in any organ transplant for that matter) while determining the match. All donors are mandatorily screened for Hepatitis B and C and for HIV. When it comes to paediatric heart transplants, we make sure that your child gets the best care possible. Our team of experts comprises Paediatric Cardiac Surgeons and Paediatric Interventional Cardiologists with decades of experience to their credit. We have specialised, state-of-the-art facilities for this programme including a Level 3 PICU that’s managed by internationally trained paediatric intensivists. Waiting for a heart can be quite distressful, but if everything goes well, it’s definitely a second chance at life.

Once a donor heart becomes available and all other factors are ascertained favourable, our entire transplant team gets ready for the surgery. Our transplant surgeon will remove the diseased heart of the patient, except the back walls of the atria - the heart’s upper chambers. The backs of the atria of the donated heart are opened and sewn into place; and blood vessels are connected, allowing the blood to flow to the heart and lungs. As the heart warms up, it starts beating. You’ll be able to sit up and walk within a few days after the surgery, and if there are no signs of organ rejection, you can go home in probably about two weeks.