For people whose religious beliefs or personal preference makes them unable to have a blood transfusion, even the simplest surgery can be a problem.
That's because doctors need to have blood on hand for an emergency during many procedures. Others types of operations, like heart surgery, require that patients get extra blood to replenish their own.
The Jehovah's Witness religion prohibits its followers from getting a blood transfusion, believing that both the Old and New Testaments forbid the practice.
Others worry about transmission of disease through blood transfusion, although screening and testing have reduced that risk.
Some hospitals have created special programs to cater to the needs of people who want to avoid blood transfusion. Englewood Hospital in Bergen County, N.J., has an Institute for Patient Blood Management and Bloodless Medicine and Surgery.
Putnam Hospital Center also has a Blood Management for Bloodless Medicine and Surgery Program, which serves about 600 patients annually. The hospital will hold an open house on Saturday for patients interested in learning more.
Dr. Rolando Rojas, is the medical director of blood management for bloodless medicine and surgery program at Putnam Hospital. Rojas, himself a Jehovah's Witness, brought the program to the hospital when he joined four years ago after many years of treating other members of the faith.
He discusses bloodless surgery with The Journal News.
Why do people want bloodless medicine and how often do you get this request?
It's mainly for Jehovah's Witnesses because of their religious beliefs. But there are also a lot of people who don't want a stranger's blood. They don't want the risk of getting a disease like hepatitis C.
Word has gotten around that we have a bloodless program and a lot of people come to Putnam Hospital so they can have bloodless surgery.
Tell us how you manage to do surgery without blood transfusions?
There are several ways. For Witnesses, we use a machine called a cell saver. This collects blood to filter that can be reused and circulated back to the patient during surgery. Witnesses see it as a continuation of their circulatory system. It is allowable.
For people who do not have religious objections, we can do pre-surgery planning. We can give injections that stimulate production of red blood cells in the bone marrow. We can also collect a person's blood before surgery and keep it to use during surgery.
There are also methods we can use during surgery to reduce bleeding, like a scalpel that cauterizes while it cuts.
Is it safe?
It is safer than regular surgery. It avoids a lot of bleeding and it avoids the risk for the patient, like hepatitis C. It has been shown that patients who do not accept blood do much better post-operatively than patients who have blood.
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If you go:
The public can learn about Putnam Hospital Center's blood management program at a seminar from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 18 at the Michael T. Weber Auditorium, 670 Stoneleigh Ave, Carmel. For more information, contact program director John Mountain at 845-230-4777 or jmountai@health-quest.org.
http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/2014/10/13/bloodless-blood-transfusions/17200643/
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