Kidney and pancreas transplants in Jehovah's witnesses: ethical and practical implications.
Jehovah's Witnesses refuse blood transfusions but accept solid organ transplants. Six Jehovah's Witnesses received a kidney and/or a pancreas transplant in our center. After a mean follow-up of 31.4 months (range: 18 to 39) all the recipients are alive and well with functioning grafts. However, 1 month after grafting, one recipient required blood transfusions. Hemorrhage was ruled out and the anemia was attributed to drug-related toxicity. Thus, Jehovah's Witnesses can receive a kidney and/or a pancreas transplant without blood transfusions at the time of surgery. However, lifesaving transfusions may be needed later on, which raises additional and unique medical and ethical issues.
Boggi
U
U
Divisione di Chirurgia Generale e Trapianti, Dipartimento di Oncologia, Trapianti e Nuove Tecnologie in Medicina, Pisa, Italy.
Vistoli
F
F
Del Chiaro
M
M
Croce
C
C
Signori
S
S
Marchetti
P
P
Del Prato
S
S
Rizzo
G
G
Mosca
F
F
D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002102:Cadaver; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000601:surgery; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D033221:Jehovah's Witnesses; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000601:surgery; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000941:ethics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016035:Pancreas Transplantation / Q000941:ethics*; D014019:Tissue Donors; D016896:Treatment Outcome