Correction of congenital heart defects in Jehovah's Witness children

Between August 1989 and July 2003 14 Jehovah's Witness children with congenital heart defects (CHD) aged under 14 years (median 2.9 years) and with a median weight of 14 kg underwent 16 operations with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Five children had been operated on previously between one to three times. Preoperatively, 7 children were prepared with oral iron supplementation and 10 received erythropoietin. Mean hemoglobin (Hb) at admission was 14.4 g/dl (range 10.9 - 19.2). The cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) circuit was modified to reduce total priming volume. High doses of aprotinin were administered. The modified ultrafiltration (MUF) circuit, used in 7 patients, was parallel to the ECC circuit with continuous circulation of the blood through a small shunt between the arterial and venous lines. Operations performed consisted of VSD closure (3 pts.), ASD closure (3 pts.), Fontan operation (2 pts.), and complete AV canal correction, aortic commissurotomy, Ross operation, Glenn shunt, cor triatriatum correction, MV reconstruction combined with left outflow tract stenosis resection, correction of absent pulmonary valve syndrome, and correction of tetralogy of Fallot in one patient each. There were no deaths. Mean duration of CPB was 192 min and mean aortic cross-clamp time 40 min. The Hb value at the end of the operation was 4.9 - 14.5 g/dl (mean 9.6) and at discharge it was 7.1 - 14.5 g/dl (mean 15.5). No blood or blood products were used in any patient.

Bloodless cardiac surgery with and without CPB can be safely performed in Jehovah's Witness infants and children.