Managing Blood Loss in a Jehovah’s Witness Patient

The Jehovah’s Witnesses are a unique group of patients that can pose a challenge to the anesthesiologist given their desire to avoid transfusion of blood products. This religious belief can include refusal of red cells, white cells, plasma, as well as platelets. The perioperative care of such patients can include the use of bloodless techniques in order to respect their beliefs. Given the desire to avoid blood products, it is imperative to utilize strategies that will prevent unnecessary transfusion. It is also important to understand the ethical and or legal ramifications of overriding parental/adolescent requests for no transfusion as well as acceptance of adolescent transfusion refusal.