Successful bone marrow transplant in Belgrade

A bone marrow transplant was performed yesterday in Belgrade, with the help of an Italian expert. Another similar operation will be carried out today at the Mother and Child Institute, and to assure the operation’s successful outcome, Serbian experts have engaged the assistance of Italian professor, Marino Andolina. Successful bone marrow transplant in Belgrade Andolina has been teaching doctors in Serbia since 1993, both in Italy and Belgrade. For the two 10-year old girls, suffering from acute leukaemia, a bone marrow transplant is their only hope. As neither have a brother or sister whose bone marrows would be the closest match to their own, their parents have acted as donors. Sadly, in such cases, matches are only partial. “The girl is ten years old. Acute myeloid leukaemia has been observed since May 2007. Her father will be the donor, I just need to hope that my child will get through this, that she will be ok,“ the girl’s mother told B92. In the last 15 years, bone marrow transplants have been performed on 62 patient, aged between four months and 18 years, at the Mother and Child Institute. Homegrown doctors have successfully performed the operations in cases where there has been a perfect match between the donor and patient. However, when the match is partial, serious complications can arise. “When the donor is a partial match, additional work on the bone marrow is required to prevent serious complications that can arise during the post-operative period,“ says Dragana Vujic, head of the Sterility department. To prevent this, Prof. Andolina from the Burlo Garofolo Institute came to teach Serb doctors techniques for bone marrow treatment, and to help with the operation itself. “This kind of operation very successfully solves this problem, which is very widespread in European countries with the lack of adequate donors. This way a parent can help his or her child even when the match is not perfect,“ said Andolina. Also at stake is much needed financial support, as such operations are very expensive in western countries, according to Svetlana Vukajlovic, director of the Republic Institute for Health Insurance (RZZO). “These operations can cost EUR 300,000, even more. There have been cases where they’ve been carried out in English hospitals, and the RZZO has footed the entire bill – we even have invoices of EUR 5mn,“ explains Vukajlovic. For an identical operation in Serbia, the RZZO pays the hospital only RSD 350,000 (EUR 4400) to cover medical costs and sanitary material. But Vukajlovic stressed that the big problem in Serbia was the lack of donors. Since 1993, 57 children from Serbia have undergone operations in Italy. For those who have not had an identical match, Prof. Andolina has managed to find donors in Europe. Bone marrow donation is an act that presents no danger to the donor. It is no great effort for a healthy person, and for a patient means the gift of life.

Successful bone marrow transplant in Belgrade

Andolina has been teaching doctors in Serbia since 1993, both in Italy and Belgrade.

For the two 10-year old girls, suffering from acute leukaemia, a bone marrow transplant is their only hope. As neither have a brother or sister whose bone marrows would be the closest match to their own, their parents have acted as donors. Sadly, in such cases, matches are only partial.

“The girl is ten years old. Acute myeloid leukaemia has been observed since May 2007. Her father will be the donor, I just need to hope that my child will get through this, that she will be ok,“ the girl’s mother told B92.

In the last 15 years, bone marrow transplants have been performed on 62 patient, aged between four months and 18 years, at the Mother and Child Institute. Homegrown doctors have successfully performed the operations in cases where there has been a perfect match between the donor and patient. However, when the match is partial, serious complications can arise.

“When the donor is a partial match, additional work on the bone marrow is required to prevent serious complications that can arise during the post-operative period,“ says Dragana Vujić, head of the Sterility department.

To prevent this, Prof. Andolina from the Burlo Garofolo Institute came to teach Serb doctors techniques for bone marrow treatment, and to help with the operation itself.

“This kind of operation very successfully solves this problem, which is very widespread in European countries with the lack of adequate donors. This way a parent can help his or her child even when the match is not perfect,“ said Andolina.

Also at stake is much needed financial support, as such operations are very expensive in western countries, according to Svetlana Vukajlović, director of the Republic Institute for Health Insurance (RZZO).

“These operations can cost EUR 300,000, even more. There have been cases where they’ve been carried out in English hospitals, and the RZZO has footed the entire bill – we even have invoices of EUR 5mn,“ explains Vukajlović.

For an identical operation in Serbia, the RZZO pays the hospital only RSD 350,000 (EUR 4400) to cover medical costs and sanitary material. But Vukajlović stressed that the big problem in Serbia was the lack of donors.

Since 1993, 57 children from Serbia have undergone operations in Italy. For those who have not had an identical match, Prof. Andolina has managed to find donors in Europe.

Bone marrow donation is an act that presents no danger to the donor. It is no great effort for a healthy person, and for a patient means the gift of life.