Outcomes in cardiac surgery in 500 consecutive Jehovah's Witness patients: 21 year experience.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Refusal of heterogenic blood products can be for religious reasons as in Jehovah's Witnesses or otherwise or as requested by an increasing number of patients. Furthermore blood reserves are under continuous demand with increasing costs. Therefore, transfusion avoidance strategies are desirable. We describe a historic comparison and current results of blood saving protocols in Jehovah's Witnesses patients.

Methods

Data on 250 Jehovah's Witness patients operated upon between 1991 and 2003 (group A) were reviewed and compared with a second population of 250 patients treated from 2003 to 2012 (group B).

Results

In group A, mean age was 51 years of age compared to 68 years in group B. An iterative procedure was performed in 13% of patients in group B. Thirty day

SUBMITTER: Vaislic CD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3487917 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature