Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Apr 1;34(2):125-130.
doi: 10.1097/ACO.0000000000000961.

Blood transfusion and alternatives in Jehovah's Witness patients

Megan Rashid  1 , Fatoumata Kromah  2 , Catherine Cooper  3
Affiliations
Review

Blood transfusion and alternatives in Jehovah's Witness patients

Megan Rashid et al. Curr Opin Anaesthesiol. .

Abstract

Purpose of review: More than 8.5 million people in the world observe the Jehovah's Witness faith, and require unique consideration for perioperative blood management as they generally refuse transfusion of blood and blood products. This review addresses a collaborative approach to each patient throughout the perioperative arena. The principles of this approach include optimization of hemoglobin levels preoperatively, attention to blood-salvaging methods intraoperatively, and minimization of blood draws postoperatively. In addition, we review the technologies currently in development as transfusion alternatives, including hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers.

Recent findings: Progress has been made recently in the field of synthetic blood alternatives and hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers, which may lead to improved outcomes in this patient population.

Summary: Utilization of multiple prevention and mitigation strategies to optimize oxygen supply and decrease oxygen demand will lead to decreased incidence of critical anemia and subsequent improved mortality in Jehovah's Witness patients.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Posluszny JA, Napolitano LM. Hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier for traumatic hemorrhagic shock treatment in a Jehovah's Witness. Arch Trauma Res 2016; 5:e30610.
    1. McConachie S, Wahby K, Almadrahi Z, Wilhelm S. Early experiences with PEGylated carboxyhemoglobin bovine in anemic Jehovah's Witnesses: a case series and review of the literature. J Pharm Pract 2020; 33:372–377.
    1. Mason CL, Tran CK. Caring for the Jehovah's Witness parturient. Anesth Analg 2015; 121:1564–1569.
    1. Crowe EP, DeSimone RA. Transfusion support and alternatives for Jehovah's Witness patients. Curr Opin Hematol 2019; 26:473–479.
    1. How many of Jehovah's Witnesses are there worldwide? [Internet]. Available at: https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/how-many-jw/ . [Accessed 7 December 2020].