BMJ 1994;309:124 (9 July)

Letters

Managing patients who refuse blood transfusions

Cell savers may be unacceptable

EDITOR,--I note that the first of two patients reported on who initially refused a blood transfusion underwent surgery two weeks later with the aid of a cell saver.1 The belief of Jehovah's Witnesses that they must "abstain from blood" is widely known to preclude the administration of homologous transfusion with blood products. Many Jehovah's Witnesses also believe, however, that the reinfusion of their own blood lost from their body is also against their teachings. This means that they may also refuse the use of such techniques as intraoperative cell savers, reinfusion drainage systems, extracorporeal circulation, and predonation of blood for autologous transfusion. If the use of such a technique is considered and the patient is a Jehovah's Witness the technique must be fully discussed with the patient preoperatively so that his or her beliefs are not contravened; this is in line with the principles of . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Managing patients who refuse blood transfusions: an ethical dilemma: Major trauma in two patients refusing blood transfusion
S Finfer, S Howell, J Miller, K Willett, and J Wilson-MacDonald
BMJ 1994 308: 1423-26. [Extract] [Full Text]

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Granger, C (1994). Managing a Jehovah's Witness who agrees to blood transfusion. BMJ 309: 612b-612 [Full text]  
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