Jehovah's Witness Patients Research Articles

Comprehensive blood conservation program in a new congenital cardiac surgical program allows bloodless surgery for the Jehovah Witness and a reduction for all patients.

Cardiac surgery on Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) can be challenging, given the desire to avoid blood products. Establishment of a blood conservation program involving the pre-, intra- and post-operative stages for all patients may lead to a minimized need for blood transfusion in all patients. Pre-operatively, all JW patients were treated with high dose erythropoietin 500 IU/kg twice a week. JW patients were compared to matching non-JW patients from the congenital cardiac database, two per JW to serve as control. Blood use, ventilation time, bypass time, pre-operative hematocrit, first in intensive care unit (ICU) and at discharge and 24 hour chest drainage were compared. Pre-operative huddle, operating room huddle and post-operative bedside handoff were done with the congenital cardiac surgeon, perfusionist, anesthesiologist and intensive care team in all patients for goal alignment. Five JW patients (mean weight 24.4 ± 25.0 Kg, range 6.3 - 60 Kg) were compared to 10 non-JW patients (weight 22.0 ± 22.8 Kg, range 6.2 - 67.8 Kg). There was no difference in bypass, cross-clamp, time to extubation (0.8 vs. 2.1 hours), peak inotrope score (2.0 vs. 2.3) or chest drainage. No JW patient received a blood product compared to 40% of non-JW. The pre-operative hematocrit (Hct) was statistically greater for the JW patients (46.1 ± 3.3% vs. 36.3 ± 4.7%, p<0.001) and both ICU and discharge Hct were higher for the JW (37 ± 1.8% vs 32.4 ± 8.0% and 41 ± 8.1% vs 34.8 ± 7.9%), but did not reach statistical significance. All patients had similar blood draws during the hospitalization (JW x 18 mL/admission vs non-JW 20 mL/admission). The continuous application and development of blood conservation techniques across the continuum of care allowed bloodless surgery for JW and non-JW patients alike. Blood conservation is a team sport and to make significant strides requires participation and input by all care providers.

Transfusion Refusal and the Shifting Limits of Multicultural Accommodation.

The refusal of blood products by Jehovah's Witness patients has provoked court proceedings, social science research, and contemporary fiction, all of which emphasize a seemingly intractable conflict between religious and secular ways of being. This article takes a different approach, focusing instead on the space that Witness patients have carved out for their accommodation in a major pediatric research hospital. Using discourse analysis and interview data, I map the way moralizing discourses surrounding Witness families have shifted over the past 70 years alongside advancements in bloodless medicine. I argue that Witnesses have helped to enable their present accommodation and recognition by marshaling particular forms of economic, human, and social capital, and consider whether their success might be attainable by other treatment-resisting patient groups. Thus, this article explores the shifting limits of multicultural accommodation and the conditions that make understanding, collaboration, and compromise possible.

Autodeterminazione e responsabilità sanitaria: le trasfusioni di sangue nei pazienti Testimoni di Geova

[Self-determination and medical liability: blood transfusion in Jehovah's Witnesses patients] The present article begins with a brief analysis of the biblical reasons why Jehovah's Witnesses refuse transfusions, to analyze the right to self-determination of a patient, which is exercised through the express informed consent to medical treatment. Then, the article examines three situations that a doctor who is treating a Jehovah's Witness may face: a non-urgent clinical situation that allows different treatment choices; a condition that requires treatment choices obliged but deferrable over time; and, finally, a situation that forces the doctor to a single therapeutic choice not postponed and predictable.

Peripartum Care of the Jehovah's Witness Patient.

Postpartum hemorrhage is a leading cause of maternal mortality. Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) refuse allogeneic blood transfusion, and thus treatment of hemorrhagic complications in this patient population is complex. Recognition and respect for religious beliefs are essential when caring for the JW parturient and several ethical and legal considerations must be taken into account. Interdisciplinary teamwork and communication as well as active patient participation are critical in the decision-making process for JW patients. Various techniques and technologies are available to optimize red blood cell mass, minimize bleeding, increase tolerance to anemia and support multiorgan derangements derived from antepartum and postpartum hemorrhage.

Bloodless tandem autologous stem cell transplant for multiple myeloma in Jehovah's Witness patients.

e19523 Background:, Cases of Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW) who undergo, and survive, autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplant(SCT) are increasingly reported. Tandem autologous stem cell transplantation(ASCT) for multiple myeloma has not been previously reported in JW. We are describing the first reports of four JW patients who successfully underwent tandem bloodless ASCT for multiple myeloma. Methods:, We retrospectively studied the outcome of four JW patients who underwent tandem ASCT from November 2000 to January 2017. . The bleeding complications, number and cost of transfusion of blood products were compared with last 100 consecutive tandem autologous transplants done from November 2014 till January 2017. Results:,There were 4 JW patients and 59 non-JW patients. Among 4 JW patients 3 were male and 1 was female. Among 59 non-JW 24(40.7%) were female and 35 (59.3%) were female. Median age was 60-years (range 54–66) and 59-years (range 36–71) for JW and non-JW patients, respectively. At Day+30 one JW patient had grade III pulmonary hemorrhage and Non-JW patients had no grade III or higher bleeding problems .The median number of CD34 cells transfused was 7.48 millions cells/kg in non-JW patients while it was 9.44 millions/kg in JW patients. Complete Remission(CR) was achieved in 33(59%) after 1st tandem and 35(81.4%) after the second tandem transplant in Non-JW patients as compared to 100% CR rate in JW patients . The median number of platelet transfusions in non-JW patients was 2(range 0—21) and PRBC units was 1(range 0—7) at day+30 . Total cost of PRBC and platelet transfusions for the 59 non-JW patients was ~ 192,374 dollars (average 1923.74$/transplant). This excludes the supply costs and management of transfusion reactions costs. Conclusions: 1) Tandem autologous transplant for multiple myeloma in JW population is practical and largely safe. 2) Blood products are expensive and can be further minimized based on the JW patient data

Outcomes of solid tumor malignancies in patients of Jehovah’s Witness faith.

e18176 Background: Jehovah's Witness (JW) patients with cancer present unique challenges due to their refusal of blood and blood products which limits supportive care options in the setting of cancer treatment. This study was aimed at determining their cancer specific outcomes. Methods: A retrospective analysis of case records of JW with solid tumors presented between 2005 and 2015 was conducted. Patient demographic data, diagnosis, treatment details and survival outcomes were collected and analysed. Results: A total of 63 JW were identified (39 females; 24 males); median age was 70 years (25-90). The most common cancer was breast (n=16) followed by colorectal (n=10). 27 JW had advanced disease (TNM stage 4), 48 patients had ECOG 0-1 and 22 JW had anaemia (Hb&lt;120g/L for women and &lt;130g/L for men) at the time of diagnosis. While surgery and radiation were uniformly accepted when recommended, 7 out of 42 refused chemotherapy. Median OS was 64 months in early stage (TNM stages 1-3) and 11 months in advanced stage. At presentation blood transfusion was considered unacceptable by all patients under any circumstances. 19 patients rejected transfusion even after symptomatic or life threatening anaemia. They had 1 year overall survival rate of 42% compared with 84% for those who did not require transfusion (HR 4.31, CI 1.96- 9.49, P=0.001). When adjusted for age and ECOG, these results were significant in early stage (P &lt;0.026) but not in late stage (P= 0.6). Treatment was suboptimal in 14 JW patients due to early treatment discontinuation or inferior chemotherapy regimen used to avoid pancytopenia. Median OS in this group was 15 months compared to 46 months who had optimal treatment (HR 2.5, CI 1.07- 6.27, P =0.034). 17 JW received bone marrow stimulating agents like erythropoietin or G-CSF. They helped with dyspnoea and maintaining chemotherapy dose intensity. Conclusions: Refusal of blood components may have negative impact on long term cancer outcome of JW due to compromised chemotherapy dose intensity. Strategies to deliver optimum therapy while being sensitive of religious perceptions will help in improving outcomes for this group.

Cardiac Surgery in Jehovah's Witness Patients: Experience of a Brazilian Tertiary Hospital.

IntroductionThe outcomes of Jehovah's Witness (JW) patients submitted to open heart surgery may vary across countries and communities. The aim of this study was to describe the morbidity and mortality of JW patients undergoing cardiac surgery in a tertiary hospital center in Southern Brazil.MethodsA case-control study was conducted including all JW patients submitted to cardiac surgery from 2008 to 2016. Three consecutive surgical non-JW controls were matched to each selected JW patient. The preoperative risk of death was estimated through the mean EuroSCORE II.ResultsWe studied 16 JW patients with a mean age of 60.6±12.1 years. The non-JW group included 48 patients with a mean age of 63.3±11.1 years (P=0.416). Isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery was the most frequent surgery performed in both groups. Median EuroSCORE II was 1.29 (IQR: 0.66-3.08) and 1.43 (IQR: 0.72-2.63), respectively (P=0.988). The mortality tended to be higher in JW patients (18.8% vs. 4.2%, P=0.095), and there was a higher difference between the predicted and observed mortality in JW patients compared with controls (4.1 and 18.8% vs. 2.1 and 4.2%). More JW patients needed hemodialysis in the postoperative period (20.0 vs. 2.1%, P=0.039).ConclusionWe showed a high rate of in-hospital mortality in JW patients submitted to cardiac surgery. The EuroSCORE II may underestimate the surgical risk in these patients.

Non-blood management of severe anaemia in pregnant human immunodeficiency virus positive Jehovah's Witness patients in the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Background: Blood transfusion is clinically used to treat severe anaemia, but some people refuse it for its adverse effects and religious reasons. Aim: To present two Jehovah's Witness pregnant human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive women who were managed successfully without blood at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. Methods: Case series - The first case, a 27-year-old Jehovah's Witness woman was found to be retropositive with severe anaemia. She had a packed cell volume (PCV) of 14% in her second trimester in pregnancy. She was treated with oral haematinics, and the PCV rose to 34% before an elective caesarean section. The second case was a 29-year-old Jehovah's Witness woman who was admitted for chronic cough and fever in her second trimester. On further investigation, she was found to have pulmonary tuberculosis, septicaemia and severe anaemia with a PCV of 17%. She declined blood transfusion and was managed with parenteral iron and erythropoietin. Both cases had safe deliveries with good fetomaternal outcome. Conclusion: Pregnant patients who decline blood transfusion can be adequately managed if they register in the first trimester or the early second trimester and such cases need good team management and cooperation between the patient and the teams for a good outcome.

Ethical and legal duty of anesthesiologists regarding Jehovah's Witness patient: care protocol

Jehovah's Witnesses patients refuse blood transfusions for religious reasons. Anesthesiologists must master specific legal knowledge to provide care to these patients. Understanding how the Law and the Federal Council of Medicine treat this issue is critical to know how to act in this context. The aim of this paper was to establish a treatment protocol for the Jehovah's Witness patient with emphasis on ethical and legal duty of the anesthesiologist. The article analyzes the Constitution, Criminal Code, resolutions of the Federal Council of Medicine (FCM), opinions, and jurisprudence to understand the limits of the conflict between the autonomy of will of Jehovah's Witnesses to refuse transfusion and the physician's duty to provide the transfusion. Based on this evidence, a care protocol is suggested. The FCM resolution 1021/1980, the penal code Article 135, which classifies denial of care as a crime and the Supreme Court decision on the HC 268,459/SP process imposes on the physician the obligation of blood transfusion when life is threatened. The patient's or guardian's consent is not necessary, as the autonomy of will manifestation of the Jehovah's Witness patient refusing blood transfusion for himself and relatives, even in emergencies, is no not forbidden.

Treating a Patient With Your Hands Tied: Acute Chest Syndrome in a Jehovah’s Witness

SESSION TITLE: Student/Resident Case Report Poster - Critical Care I SESSION TYPE: Student/Resident Case Report Poster PRESENTED ON: Tuesday, October 25, 2016 at 01:30 PM - 02:30 PM INTRODUCTION: Acute chest syndrome (ACS) in patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA) is treated with simple or exchange transfusion, analgesics, antibiotics and IV fluids. We present a Jehovah’s Witness (JW) patient with ACS whose religious beliefs precluded use of blood products. She was treated successfully with supportive care (including mechanical ventilation, sedation, paralysis, erythropoesis stimulation) and survived despite concomitant hemolytic and aplastic crisis and a hemoglobin (Hb) nadir of 3.1gm/dl. CASE PRESENTATION: A 26 year-old Black female JW with SCA presented with sickle pain crisis affecting the torso and extremities. Examination revealed pallor, icterus, tachycardia with clear lungs and abdominal tenderness. Lab data: Hb 7.7gm/dl, WBC 32, platelets 52; Reticulocyte count 2%; HbS 55%; LDH 6077 U/L; haptoglobin 24mg/dl; total bilirubin 2.8 mg/dl. Patient was treated with analgesics, IV fluids, oxygen (O2) therapy and empiric antibiotics. In 48 hours, Hb dropped to 5.2 gm/dl; oxygenation worsened with diffuse lung infiltrates on chest x-ray [CXR] (Figure 1). She was transferred to the ICU for management of ACS. Patient refused transfusion of blood products, with the awareness that death might occur as a consequence. She subsequently required mechanical ventilation for respiratory distress. To minimize O2 consumption (VO2) and energy expenditure, patient was sedated and paralyzed. To increase O2-delivery by increasing O2-solubilty in plasma, 100% FiO2 was used. This was titrated down after 3 days to avoid O2-toxicity. Patient also received erythropoietin, IV iron, folate, thiamine, vitamin B12, vitamin C, antibiotics, IV fluids. Blood draws were limited with Pedi-tubes used when necessary. Table 1 shows Hb trend. Lowest Hb was 3.1gm/dl. Paralytics were discontinued after a week. After 2 weeks, blood counts and CXR began to improve; patient was extubated at 4 weeks. At discharge, a week later, Hb was 7.7g/dl. DISCUSSION: Difficulty in caring for JW patients with ACS stems from inability to deliver 1st-line therapy of blood transfusion due to religious convictions. Hence, physicians should be aware of alternative options available in their management. Therapeutic measures reported to be successful in management of ACS in JW patients include: hyperbaric O2, barbiturate coma, hypothermia and blood substitutes. Polymerized Hb products and synthetic O2-carrying products have been successfully used, but remain investigational, are not FDA-approved or readily accessible. In this case, supportive therapy was successful in treating ACS without blood transfusion. CONCLUSIONS: Supportive measures such as mechanical ventilation, deep sedation and paralysis to decrease VO2, erythropoesis stimulation and minimizing blood loss can be successful in treating JW patients with ACS whose beliefs may pose barriers to the mainstays of treatment. Reference #1: Remmers PA et al. Clinical strategies in the medical care of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Am J Med 2009; 119:1013-18. DISCLOSURE: The following authors have nothing to disclose: Deepak Vadhera, Frank Senatore, Debapriya Datta No Product/Research Disclosure Information

“Bloodless” Neurosurgery Among Jehovah's Witnesses: A Comparison with Matched Concurrent Controls

Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) are a Christian faith with >1 million members in the United States who do not accept autologous blood transfusions. The optimal management of these patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures is not well defined. Here, we examined the feasibility and safety of JW undergoing neurosurgery in a blood management program. Sixty-eight JW patients including 23 men and 45 women (mean age 53±12 years) who underwent a variety of cranial (n= 19) and spinal (n= 49) neurosurgical procedures during a 5-year period were identified retrospectively and their hospital charts, anesthetic records, and operative reports reviewed. A concurrent cohort of sex-, age-, and procedure-matched non-JW controls also was identified. Among JW patients, a cell-saving system was used in 27 cases, with blood retransfused in 13 cases. Lactated Ringers solution was used extensively intraoperatively; albumin was given to 15 patients. The median decrease in hemoglobin was 2.1 g/dL. One patient had a postoperative hemoglobin value <7 g/dL. One patient returned to the operating room to revise a lumbar pedicle screw, and one patient had postoperative seizures. No cardiopulmonary complications, sepsis, pneumonia, or wound infection were observed. Compared with the matched control group, similar outcome results were observed. Blood loss and operative time also were similar in JW patients and controls. Neurosurgical procedures in Jehovah's Witnesses are feasible, safe, and have similar outcomes to patients willing to accept transfusion when managed within a multidisciplinary blood-management program.

Ethical and legal duty of anesthesiologists regarding Jehovah's Witness patient: care protocol

Background and objectivesJehovah's Witnesses patients refuse blood transfusions for religious reasons. Anesthesiologists must master specific legal knowledge to provide care to these patients. Understanding how the Law and the Federal Council of Medicine treat this issue is critical to know how to act in this context. The aim of this paper was to establish a treatment protocol for the Jehovah's Witness patient with emphasis on ethical and legal duty of the anesthesiologist. ContentThe article analyzes the Constitution, Criminal Code, resolutions of the Federal Council of Medicine, opinions, and jurisprudence to understand the limits of the conflict between the autonomy of will of Jehovah's Witnesses to refuse transfusion and the physician's duty to provide the transfusion. Based on this evidence, a care protocol is suggested. ConclusionsThe Federal Council of Medicine resolution 1021/1980, the penal code Article 135, which classifies denial of care as a crime and the Supreme Court decision on the HC 268,459/SP process imposes on the physician the obligation of blood transfusion when life is threatened. The patient's or guardian's consent is not necessary, as the autonomy of will manifestation of the Jehovah's Witness patient refusing blood transfusion for himself and relatives, even in emergencies, is no not forbidden.

Bilateral lobal lung transplantation on ECMO in jehovah's witness patient

Bilateral lobal lung transplantation on ECMO in jehovah's witness patient

Transfusion Ethics in a Pediatric Jehovah's Witness Trauma Patient: Simulation Case.

Current ethical practice allows for adult patients with decision-making capacity to refuse blood transfusion, even at the cost of high morbidity or mortality. However, for an adult patient who is of the Jehovah's Witness faith, an unwanted blood transfusion confers a psychospiritual cost to the patient and a financial cost to health care entities. The ethical boundaries are increasingly ambiguous with minors who are members of the Jehovah's Witness faith. This simulation experience intends to identify and address knowledge gaps in the care of minors in an emergent setting using a biomedical ethics framework. This scenario provides an immersive simulation experience involving a 12-year-old Jehovah's Witness patient requiring emergent laparotomy for splenic hemorrhage. Patient interview (via simulation manikin with instructor voice) and care handoff take place in an operating room setting. The learner ascertains the patient's and family's refusal of blood products. Induction of general anesthesia results in profound patient hypotension secondary to acute blood-loss anemia. Pulseless electrical activity results if packed red blood cells are not administered. Ethical principles require the learner to impose an unwanted lifesaving therapy on a minor patient over the objections of family members. Secondly, the anesthesia provider must advocate for transfusion on these ethical grounds against a well-meaning but ultimately misguided surgeon who opposes transfusion. An included learner evaluation form based on ACGME core competencies facilitates postsimulation debriefing. Participants were primarily anesthesia residents and fellows. Anecdotally, the residents said that it "felt good to be an attending" and that the simulation helped them appreciate how important conflict resolution skills are in the OR setting. Additionally, faculty appreciated the ability to assess the development of crucial assertiveness skills, with the option of remediating incorrect behavior during the debriefing. This simulation experience provides experience in the emergent medical management of a pediatric trauma patient while also incorporating specific ethical consent issues unique to pediatric and trauma patient populations. Furthermore, this experience develops professionalism skills and practice in assertive patient advocacy.

Health care reform and Diagnosis Related Groups in Germany: The mediating role of Hospital Liaison Committees for Jehovah's Witnesses

Resulting from health care reform in Germany that was implemented in 2003–2004, a new medical classification system called the “Diagnosis Related Groups” (DRGs) was introduced in hospitals. According to the media, social scientists, and a few physicians interviewed in this study the policy negatively transformed the German health care system by allowing the privatization of the hospital sector consistent with the neoliberal health care model. Allegedly, this privileged economic values over the quality of health care and introduced competition between hospitals. Nevertheless, members of the Hospital Liaison Committees (HLCs) of Jehovah's Witnesses argued that the DRGs system could be used to the advantage of Jehovah's Witness (JW) patients. HLCs often assist in the patient's search by providing names of physicians that would be willing to refrain from blood transfusions.This article draws from nine months of ethnographic research with Jehovah's Witnesses, including members of the HLCs, carried out primarily in Berlin between 2010 and 2012. By focusing on JWs, whose refusal of blood transfusions is often exemplified as particularly difficult for the biomedical profession, it addresses the “unintended” consequences of the introduction of DRGs into the German health care system that remain unexplored by health and social science scholarship. It argues that although JWs have long been associated with the judicialization of religious freedom globally, they do not equally engage in the judicialization of health in countries such as Germany. The reason for this is embedded not only in health care policy that favors mediation over medical malpractice litigation. It also results from the synergy of health care reforms that prioritize standardizing and economizing measures such as DRGs as well as practices implemented by Patient Blood Management programs that JW institutions, such as HLCs, have tapped into.

Management of the Jehovah's Witness in Obstetrics and Gynecology: A Comprehensive Medical, Ethical, and Legal Approach.

Obstetricians and gynecologists frequently deal with hemorrhage so they should be familiar with management of patients who refuse blood transfusion. Although there are some reports in the literature about management of Jehovah's Witness patients in obstetrics and gynecology, most of them are case reports, and a comprehensive review about these patients including ethicolegal perspective is lacking. This review outlines the medical, ethical, and legal implications of management of Jehovah's Witness patients in obstetrical and gynecological settings. A search of published literature using PubMed, Ovid Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases was conducted about physiology of oxygen delivery and response to tissue hypoxia, mortality rates at certain hemoglobin levels, medical management options for anemic patients who refuse blood transfusion, and ethical/legal considerations in Jehovah's Witness patients. Early diagnosis of anemia and immediate initiation of therapy are essential in patients who refuse blood transfusion. Medical management options include iron supplementation and erythropoietin. There are also some promising therapies that are in development such as antihepcidin antibodies and hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers. Options to decrease blood loss include antifibrinolytics, desmopressin, recombinant factor VII, and factor concentrates. When surgery is the only option, every effort should be made to pursue minimally invasive approaches. All obstetricians and gynecologists should be familiar with alternatives and "less invasive" options for patients who refuse blood transfusions.

A protocol avoiding allogeneic transfusion in joint arthroplasties.

Arthroplasties of hip and knee are associated with blood loss, which may lead to adverse patient outcome. Performing arthroplasties in Jehovah's Witness patients who do not accept transfusion has been a matter of concern. We developed a protocol, which avoids transfusion in arthroplasties of Jehovah's Witness patients, and evaluated the feasibility and safety of the protocol. The target of preoperative hemoglobin was more than 10g/dL. When preoperative hemoglobin was lower than 10g/dL, 4000 U erythropoietin (3 times a week) and 100mg iron supplement (every day) were administered until the hemoglobin reached 10g/dL. When the preoperative hemoglobin was higher than 10g/dL, 4000U erythropoietin and 100mg iron supplement were administered once, before operation. During the operation, cell saver was used. Postoperatively, erythropoietin and iron supplements were administered until the hemoglobin reached 10g/dL, similar to the preoperative protocol. We evaluated the feasibility of our protocol, perioperative complications and hematologic changes. From 2002 to 2014, 186 Witness patients visited our department. In 179 patients (96.2%), 77 total knee arthroplasties, 69 bipolar hemiarthroplasties and 33 total hip arthroplasties were performed. The mean hemoglobin level was 12.3g/dL preoperatively, 9.4g/dL on postoperative day 3 and 10.3g/dL on postoperative day 7. One patient died immediately after the arthroplasty and the remaining 178 patients survived. Total joint arthroplasty could be done without transfusion using this protocol in most of our patients. The rates of infection and mortality were similar with known infection and mortality rates of arthroplasties. In patients who do not want allogeneic transfusions, our protocol is a safe alternative to perform joint arthroplasties.

Jehovah's Witness patients within the German medical landscape

ABSTRACTBlood transfusions belong to standard and commonly utilised biomedical procedures. Jehovah's Witnesses’ transfusion refusals are often referred to in bioethical and medical textbooks. Members of this globally active religious organisation do not, however, challenge biomedical diagnosis and treatment as such. A result of both their trust in and their interpretation of the Bible, they question only this medical treatment. In spite of the global presence of this religious community and its uniformly practised teachings, including those pertaining to blood, experiences and choices of Jehovah's Witness patients have been understudied. Drawing on a nine-month fieldwork with Jehovah's Witnesses and physicians in Germany (mainly in Berlin) between 2010 and 2012, the paper addresses treatment choices made by Witness patients and their relationship with physicians. In light of the long tradition of ‘medical heterodoxy’ established in German culture and society, Germany constitutes an ideal point of departure for such a study. By utilising the concept of ‘medical landscape’ it is argued that Jehovah's Witnesses in my field site find themselves at the intersection of different medical landscapes: in the ‘immediate’ surroundings of the German healthcare system that is open to different ‘treatment modalities’, and that of the United States, which favours biomedicine. The paper also argues that Jehovah's Witnesses’ position towards blood transfusions can further be used as a lens to shed light on the German (bio)medical landscape itself.

Outcomes from cardiac surgery in Jehovah's witness patients: experience over twenty-one years.

BackgroundCardiac surgery in Jehovah’s Witnesses may be challenging during the operation and postoperative period given their refusal of blood products. The aim of this study was to document our center’s experience with Jehovah’s Witnesses undergoing major cardiac surgery and to compare surgical outcomes with a matched control group.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the demographic, perioperative, and in-hospital postoperative data for 31 Jehovah’s Witness patients undergoing surgery from 1991 to 2012 and compared findings with a control group of 62 patients of the same sex and age, who underwent the same type of operations in the same period. Early mortality, major in-hospital morbidity, laboratory findings, and hospital stays were compared between groups.ResultsDemographic data were similar between groups, except that more patients in the Jehovah’s Witness group had extracardiac arteriopathy compared with controls (p = 0.04). There was no difference in predicted mortality, calculated by the Euroscore II, between groups (2.8 ± 3.3 in study group versus 2.4 ± 2.2 in control group, p = 0.469). For postoperative outcomes, there were no differences between Jehovah’s Witnesses versus controls in hospital mortality (3 % versus 2 %, p = 0.548), total drain loss (847 ± 583 mL versus 812 ± 365 mL, p = 0.721), mechanical ventilation time (1.26 ± 2.24 versus 0.89 ± 0.55 days, p = 0.218), intensive care unit stay (4.3 ± 3.9 versus 3 ± 1.4 days, p = 0.080), and hospital stay (12.9 ± 7.6 versus 10.9 ± 6.6 days, p = 0.223).ConclusionsOutcomes after cardiac surgery are similar between Jehovah’s Witnesses and general population, in centers applying rigorous blood patient management protocols.

Faith, ethics and Section 63 of the Mental Health Act 1983.

Section 63 of the Mental Health Act 1983 states that an approved clinician can provide medical treatment irrespective of whether or not a detained patient has capacity to refuse such treatment. Case law has established that a range of acts ancillary to the core mental disorder treatment are allowed under Section 63. This article analyses a unique court judgment involving a detained Jehovah's Witness patient who had made an advance decision refusing blood transfusions but who self-inflicted lacerations resulting in blood loss. Core issues within the case involved capacity to consent to treatment and the ethics of treating or not treating patients in such cases.