title: Use of recombinant activated factor VII in Jehovah's Witness patients with critical bleeding.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Australian and New Zealand Haemostasis Registry (ANZHR) included patients who received off-licence recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) for critical bleeding from 2000 to 2009. Approximately 1.3% of the ANZHR patients were Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs). We compared them with the non-JW patients in the registry.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patient characteristics (e.g. gender, context of bleeding), factors influencing rFVIIa use (e.g. body temperature and pH) and outcomes (e.g. bleeding response (stopped/attenuated or unchanged) to rFVIIa, mortality) were compared between JW and non-JW patients using Fisher's exact chi-square tests and Kruskal-Wallis tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 42 JW and 3134 non-JW patients were included in the analysis. Approximately 99% (n = 3098) of non-JWs received blood products compared with only 30% (n = 13) of JWs (P < 0.01). The distribution of gender and contexts of critical bleeding in the two groups was significantly different. Approximately 17% of the non-JW patients were hypothermic (T < 35°C) and about 19% were acidotic (pH < 7.2) at the time of initial rFVIIa administration. Conversely, none of the JWs were hypothermic and only one was acidotic. The proportion of positive responders to rFVIIa (stopped/attenuated bleeding following rFVIIa use) was similar in both groups (75% non-JWs, 74% JWs; P = 1.0). Approximately 28% of non-JW and 17% of JW patients were deceased by day 28 following rFVIIa use (P = 0.16).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Several factors were observed to be significantly different between JW and non-JW patients, yet the proportions of responders to rFVIIa were similar in both groups. The actual factors influencing response to rFVIIa are yet to be determined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. rangi.kandane-rathnayake@monash.edu
authors.forename: Rangi K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Kandane-Rathnayake
authors.forename: James P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Isbister
authors.forename: Amanda J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Zatta
authors.forename: Naomi J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.forename: Louise E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Phillips
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D003029:Coagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015942:Factor VIIa / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D033221:Jehovah's Witnesses; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012042:Registries
chemical_list: D003029:Coagulants; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D015942:Factor VIIa