Endovascular Stent Grafting for Thoracic Aneurysms in Jehovah?s Witnesses: Report of Three Cases

Abstract

There are few published reports on endovascular stent grafting for thoracic aneurysms in Jehovah's Witnesses. Between 2001 and 2003, we performed endovascular stent grafting for a thoracic aneurysm in three patients of the Jehovah's Witness faith. Two patients had a thoracic aortic aneurysm and one had a chronic type-B dissection. The stent graft was constructed from a self-expanding Z-stent and thin-walled woven polyester fabric. None of the patients required perioperative blood transfusion, there was no postoperative endoleak, and all recovered uneventfully and were discharged from hospital. Thus, stent-graft repair of thoracic aneurysms in Jehovah's Witnesses is feasible and can be achieved without the need for blood transfusion.

Staged repair for a chronic dissecting thoracic aortic aneurysm with no transfusion in a Jehovah's Witness patient

“…Recently, it has become possible to repair a thoracoabdomonal aortic aneurysm by this procedure even though the aneurysm extends to abdominal vessels. 7,8 We therefore may consider this treatment approach in addition to conventional procedures when encountering a similar case in the future.…”

Successful endovascular repair of aortic rupture caused by axillary intra-aortic balloon insertion for a Jehovah's witness patient with situs inversus anomaly

“…It is a formidable challenge to perform emergent open aortic surgery without any blood transfusions. In contrast, endovascular surgery is less invasive and can be performed without the need for blood transfusion [7]. Therefore, endovascular repair should be considered as first-line therapy for selected patients with a complicated background, including Jehovah's witness patients.…”