title: Prophylactic hypothermia and neuromuscular blockade to limit myocardial oxygen demand in a critically anemic Jehovah's Witness after emergency surgery†.
abstract: Management of anemic patients refusing blood transfusion remains challenging. Concomitant coronary artery disease further complicates management. We sought to decrease the likelihood of cardiac events by employing hypothermia and neuromuscular blockade, in addition to limited phlebotomy, in a critically anemic Jehovah's Witness patient following emergent colectomy. The patient's hemoglobin concentrations were trended with serial blood gases. Neuromuscular blockade was instituted with cisatracurium, followed by hypothermia to a target of 32°C. The patient's lowest hemoglobin levels occurred on postoperative day 3 before beginning to rise. There were no postoperative cardiac events reported during the patient's course of stay. She recovered well with no evidence of anemia or cardiac events at 1-year follow-up. We conclude that targeted hypothermia with neuromuscular blockade, as an adjunct to accepted techniques, may be an alternative for critically anemic patients with coronary artery disease refusing blood transfusion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center at Long Island College Hospital, Brooklyn, NY, USA michael.klein@downstate.edu.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center at Long Island College Hospital, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Timothy I
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center at Long Island College Hospital, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center at Long Island College Hospital, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center at Long Island College Hospital, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Gainosuke
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sugiyama