Cardiovascular surgery in Jehovah's Witnesses. Report of 542 operations without blood transfusion.
Jehovah's Witnesses who require operation represent a challenge to the physician because of the patients' refusal to accept blood transfusion. We report a 20-year experience with a consecutive series of 542 Jehovah's Witness patients ranging in age from 1 day to 89 years who underwent operation. Early mortality (within 30 days after operation) was 9.4%. In 362 patients requiring temporary cardiopulmonary bypass, early mortality was 10.7%. Mortality was 13.5% among 126 patients who had single- or double-valve replacement. The only deaths among patients who had aortic valve replacement or repair of a ventricular septal defect occurred in those who had some serious complication before operation. Preoperative or postoperative anemia was a contributing factor in 12 deaths, and loss of blood was the direct cause of three deaths. Cardiovascular operations can be performed safely without blood transfusion.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000740:Anemia / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass / Q000401:mortality; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000401:mortality; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000401:mortality; D014481:United States; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures