Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Fei San Pang, Elvin Yee Fan Liaw, Somsubhra De
Summary: For pregnant women of Jehovah's Witness faith, optimizing hematological status through iron therapy and erythropoietin can reduce modifiable risk factors. Using antifibrinolytics, cell salvage, bloodless surgical techniques, and uterine cooling during delivery can effectively reduce complications.
POSTGRADUATE MEDICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Mark R. Nazal, Mary J. Underdown, Lawrence D. Hopkins, Thomas W. McLean
Summary: This case demonstrates that severe iron deficiency anemia in Jehovah's Witness patients can be managed successfully without transfusion, which may be a more complicated decision in adolescent patients able to express their wishes.
JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT HEALTH
(2021)
Review
Anesthesiology
Megan Rashid, Fatoumata Kromah, Catherine Cooper
Summary: This review emphasizes the unique blood management needs of Jehovah's Witness patients during the perioperative period, highlighting the importance of optimizing preoperative hemoglobin levels, using blood-salvaging methods intraoperatively, and minimizing blood draws postoperatively. Additionally, it introduces the technologies currently in development as transfusion alternatives, such as hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers, and discusses recent progress made in the field of synthetic blood alternatives and hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers.
CURRENT OPINION IN ANESTHESIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Lex P. Leonhardt, Aamir Pervez, Alejandro Calvo
Summary: Evans syndrome is a rare hematologic disorder characterized by autoimmune hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia, with Jehovah's Witnesses often refusing blood transfusions based on religious beliefs. Treatment typically involves blood product transfusion, steroids, and immunoglobulins.
CUREUS JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Urology & Nephrology
Jullet Han, Hamed Ahmadi, Seyedeh-Sanam Ladi-Seyedian, Thomas G. Clifford, Antoin Douglawi, Willem Xu, Soroush T. Bazargani, Samuel Mingo, Duraiyah Thangathurai, Siamak Daneshmand, Hooman Djaladat
Summary: Transfusion-free urological surgeries can be safely performed in Jehovah's Witness patients using contemporary perioperative optimization. As surgical risk category increases, there is a corresponding increase in blood loss, length of stay, and use of blood augmentation and conservation techniques, without a rise in complication rates or readmission rates related to bleeding.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF UROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Tropical Medicine
Carlos Julio Vargas-Potes, Diana Marcela Mendoza-Urbano, Luis Gabriel Parra-Lara, Angela R. Zambrano
Summary: Ewing's sarcoma, a bone and soft tissue tumor, poses challenges in treating Jehovah's Witnesses patients who refuse blood transfusions due to religious beliefs. We present a case of a Jehovah's Witness patient with Ewing's sarcoma who received chemotherapy but required surgery during treatment. The decision regarding transfusion in these patients has ethical implications and requires alternative treatment options and a multidisciplinary approach.
Article
Otorhinolaryngology
Matthew E. Lin, Liyang Tang, Steven Hasday, Daniel I. Kwon, Robert R. Selby, Niels C. Kokot
Summary: This study examined post-operative outcomes in Jehovah's Witness patients undergoing free flap reconstruction of the head and neck. The study found that Jehovah's Witness patients had significantly less intraoperative blood loss and lower post-operative hemoglobin compared to non-Jehovah's Witness patients. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in other post-operative complications and readmission rates.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OTOLARYNGOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Clare Brown, Andrew Page
Summary: This article details the case of an elderly Jehovah's Witness man who presented to the hospital with severe bruising. He was diagnosed with idiopathic acquired haemophilia A and managed with factor concentrate and immunosuppressive therapy. The article highlights the importance of prompt diagnosis and management, as well as the unique challenges in treating a patient who declined blood transfusion.
Article
Surgery
Alexander T. Booth, Shelby Allen, Vlad V. Simianu, Christine C. Jensen, Marc L. Schermerhorn, Virgilio V. George, Thomas Curran
Summary: Preoperative type and screen is recommended for all colectomy patients, but predicting transfusion risk based on patient characteristics can help avoid unnecessary testing.
SURGICAL ENDOSCOPY AND OTHER INTERVENTIONAL TECHNIQUES
(2022)
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Aimee-Louise Chambault, Louise J. Brown, Sophie Mellor, Amer Harky
Summary: The outcomes of cardiac surgery in Jehovah's Witness patients compared to non-Witness patients do not show significant differences in mortality and other variables in various studies. Multidisciplinary team optimization of patients pre-, intra-, and post-operatively is crucial for achieving good outcomes. The use of a bloodless protocol for Jehovah's Witnesses may not significantly impact clinical outcomes and could even offer advantages to all patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
Review
Critical Care Medicine
Mia Jung, Varun Harish, Aruna Wijewardena, Ian Kerridge, Rowan Gillies
Summary: This article provides a systematic review of the management of severe burn-injured Jehovah's Witness patients who decline blood transfusions. The review suggests medical and surgical strategies to reduce blood loss and optimize hematopoiesis.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Martin Hartrumpf, Ralf-Uwe Kuehnel, Roya Ostovar, Filip Schroeter, Johannes M. M. Albes
Summary: This study found that despite their religious beliefs, Jehovah's Witnesses can safely undergo cardiac surgery without receiving blood transfusions. Their postoperative course is similar to that of non-Witnesses. These findings suggest that all patients can benefit from optimal treatment and blood-saving strategies in cardiac surgery.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Marco Vitolo, Davide A. Mei, Paolo Cimato, Niccolo Bonini, Jacopo F. Imberti, Paolo Cataldo, Matteo Menozzi, Tommaso Filippini, Marco Vinceti, Giuseppe Boriani
Summary: Strategies for blood conservation and careful preoperative assessment can be applied to JW patients undergoing cardiac surgery. This systematic review and meta-analysis found no substantial differences in terms of short-term mortality, myocardial infarction, and re-exploration for bleeding between JW patients receiving bloodless surgery and controls. The results support the safety and feasibility of bloodless cardiac surgery.
CURRENT PROBLEMS IN CARDIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Woo Jin Song, Hee Jin Kim, Sang Gue Kang, Bommie Florence Seo, Nam Kyong Choi, Jung Ho Lee
Summary: Patients undergoing autologous breast reconstruction are more likely to require perioperative transfusions due to increased intraoperative bleeding. This study found that immediate ABR group had a significantly higher transfusion rate, and flap type, location of medical institution, and CAD were significant risk factors for the need for transfusion.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Tina Tomic Mahecic, Roxane Brooks, Matthias Noitz, Ignacio Sarmiento, Robert Baronica, Jens Meier
Summary: For many years, physicians have not individualized the approach to allogeneic red blood cell (RBC) transfusion. Recent evidence suggests that even lower hemoglobin concentrations can be survived in the short term. To address this issue, it is important to avoid acute anemia or treat it using alternative methods. Patient blood management (PBM) can be a therapeutic concept in a clinical context, especially in intensive care units, that prevents anemia and unnecessary RBC transfusion.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
