Bloodless third complex heart operation in a Jehovah's Witness patient with extremely low preoperative haemoglobin level

Abstract

We report a successful third complex heart operation without the transfusion of any allogeneic blood or blood products in a female Jehovah's Witness patient who had pronounced preoperative anaemia with a haemoglobin value of 6.9 mg/dl. The report shows that such a procedure is possible without any transfusion of allogeneic blood or blood products in extreme conditions with a very low preoperative haemoglobin level. © The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.