Lung transplantation in a Jehovah's witness. Case report in a twinning procedure.
Jehovah's Witnesses, patients who refuse blood transfusions, are generally not considered as candidates for lung transplantation owing to the frequent requirement for transfusions. A successful procedure in a Jehovah's Witness is presented and to our knowledge this is the 2(nd) reported case. The patient, a 38-year-old female, type I diabetes, affected by idiopatic pulmonary fibrosis underwent left lung transplantation. From the same pulmonary bloc a twinning procedure was obtained by means of right lung transplantation in a 58-year-old man affected by the same pathology. Surgical strategies employed in achieving a successful outcome, ethical and moral aspects are discussed.
Grande
A M
AM
Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery and Organ Transplantation, IRCCS San Matteo Polyclinic, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy. amgrande@libero.it
Rinaldi
M
M
D'Armini
A M
AM
Pellegrini
C
C
Viganò
M
M
D000328:Adult; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000941:ethics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033221:Jehovah's Witnesses; D016040:Lung Transplantation / Q000941:ethics / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000601:surgery*; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D016896:Treatment Outcome