Strategic management of severe acute pancreatitis in the Jehovah's witness

When a patient refuses life-saving care: issues raised when treating a Jehovah's Witness

Patients who are Jehovah's Witnesses frequently cross the path of nephrologists when they are acutely ill in the intensive care unit and stable in the long-term setting. It is important that we as a group have a rudimentary understanding of their philosophy about blood transfusion so that we can be proactive in their management. We use a case as a launching point to discuss the origins of the faith and the decision to refuse blood, as well as potential therapeutic strategies that can be used to improve the care of these patients. Improvement in our understanding as physicians will facilitate a more productive conversation with our patients about a complex and emotional issue.

Clinical strategies for supporting the untransfusable hemorrhaging patient

Hemorrhaging patients who cannot be transfused due to personal beliefs or the lack of compatible blood products provide a unique challenge for clinicians. Here we describe a 58-year-old African American man with a history of sickle cell-beta(+) thalassemia who had recently received a multiunit exchange transfusion and developed hematochezia followed by severe anemia. Due to the presence of multiple alloantibodies, no compatible packed red blood cell (pRBC) units could initially be located. The patient was managed with mechanical ventilation, colloid and crystalloid solutions, procoagulants, and recombinant erythropoietin. After an extensive search by our blood bank, enough compatible pRBC units were identified and the patient survived without significant clinical sequelae. Management of the untransfusable hemorrhaging patient requires a multidisciplined approach, with coordination between blood banks, hematologists, intensivists, and other specialists. Steps should be taken to avoid or limit blood loss, identify compatible pRBC units, control hypotension, maximize oxygen delivery, minimize metabolic demand, and stimulate erythropoiesis. In dire circumstances, use of experimental hemoglobin substitutes or transfusion of the least serologically incompatible pRBCs available may be considered.