[Cardiosurgical procedures in patients refusing blood transfusions: IKEM outcomes]

Jehovah's Witnesses who require cardiac operation represent a specific challenge to the physicians. Members of this faith will not accept blood or blood products under any circumstances on the basis of religious grounds. Nevertheless cardiac operations belong to surgical interventions with potential severe bleeding and necessity of blood transfusions.

The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze clinical data, operative and postoperative courses of patients operated at IKEM who refused blood transfusions.

From January 1995 to August 2010, 73 Jehovah's Witnesses ranging in age from 19 to 82 years underwent cardiac surgery at our institute. Aortocoronary bypass were performed in 34 patients, valve surgery in 25 patients, 6 patients underwent concomitant aortocoronary bypass and valve surgery, 2 patients underwent aortocoronary bypass and resection of the left ventricle aneurysm and 2 patients underwent atrial septal defect repair and tricuspid valve anuloplasty. Ventricular septal sefect repair, atrial septal defect repair, Cor Cap device implantation and left ventricular epicardial electrodes implantation were performed in the other patients. Early 30-days mortality was 2.8 % (2 patients).

We can conclude that cardiac surgery in Jehovah's Witnesses can be performed safety without blood transfusion and belongs to standard operating procedures at our institution.