On January 28, Dr. Ngo Ngoc Quang Minh - Director of Children's Hospital 1 said that with the support of the Ho Chi Minh City Blood Transfusion - Hematology Hospital, the team of doctors has just successfully performed a hematopoietic stem cell transplant for patient S.T (8 years old, male, Dak Lak province) suffering from severe spinal cord insufficiency.
In May 2025, baby T was admitted to the hospital in a state of hemorrhage in many places, severe anemia, infectious fever, and malnutrition. After blood tests, a severe reduction of 3 blood cell lines was detected.
The patient's spinal cord was examined and a spinal biopsy revealed severe spinal cord failure. After testing to rule out the causes of acquired and congenital spinal cord failure, doctors diagnosed the patient with severe unfounded spinal cord failure. At this level, the mortality rate is up to 80% if not treated specifically.
At this time, finding suitable people as well as deciding to choose to treat blood cell transplants is difficult. The patient's family chose the second priority treatment method, which is immunosuppression.
After 6 months of treatment, the patient responded very poorly, still needed periodic red blood cell and platelet transfusions, and still had infection due to low white blood cell counts. Baby T was diagnosed with severe anatomyal spinal cord failure, poor response to immunosuppressive treatment, and blood transfusion dependence. At this time, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was the only radical treatment method.
The hematopoietic stem cell transplant unit of the Department of Hematology and Blood Fever, Children's Hospital 1 conducted mobilization, examination and found suitable donors in the patient's family. Fortunately, the patient's 10-year-old older brother had appropriate results.
To prepare for stem cell transplantation, baby T was tested, diagnosed with images and met the conditions to carry out hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
In November 2025, the brother was collected and stored stem cells at the Ho Chi Minh City Blood Transfusion - Hematology Hospital. In December 2025, at Children's Hospital 1, T received high-dose chemotherapy treatment to prepare for transplantation.
On December 16, 2025, after a careful preparation process, the stem cell sac was safely transported to Children's Hospital 1 for transplantation for the patient.
14 days after the transplant, baby T did not need platelets. After 24 days, the baby was stopped receiving deposition red blood cells. After 31 days, the patient had a piece of graft grown. By the 46th day, the patient was discharged from the hospital in a healthy condition.
It is expected that the patient will continue to be re-examined periodically, treated with immunosuppressants to prevent transplant discharge and monitor post-transplant complications.
Dr. Minh said that at the hospital, about 50 children are diagnosed with baseless spinal cord failure each year, of which more than one is severe and very severe requiring special treatment.
This is the first hematopoietic stem cell transplant performed at Children's Hospital 1 on a child with severe and unfounded spinal cord failure, malnourished condition, and poor prognosis.
The success of this first stem cell transplant on a pediatric patient will open up more opportunities to save other critically ill pediatric patients.
