Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the management of severe acute anaemia in a Jehovah's Witness

Abstract

A case is described in which a Jehovah's Witness patient who refused blood transfusion suffered massive antepartum haemorrhage, her haemoglobin falling as low as 2.0 g.dl(-1). She was treated on an intensive care unit with intermittent positive pressure ventilation and general supportive measures, pulsed hyperbaric oxygen therapy and recombinant human erythropoietin.

Care of the injured Jehovah's Witness patient: Case report and review of the literature

“…For those centers that are equipped with hyperbaric chambers, significant increases in oxygen content can be realized with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. 21 Artificial blood substitutes (eg, perfluorocarbons) are still being investigated but promise to be of great utility in the future treatment of these patients. 22,23 Indeed, there are case reports describing the use of human 24 and bovine 25 Hb products in Jehovah's Witness trauma patients.…”

Complex Pancreatic Ressections With Vascular Involvement in Jehovah's Witnesses: How to Approach?

“…Breathing exercises and respiratory physiotherapy should be optimized to improve oxygen delivery. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been successfully used in some cases, with regimens of two to three times a day in patients with severe postoperative anemia, with hemoglobin levels up to 2.0 mg/dl 8 .…”

Preoperative Erythropoietin Administration in Patients With Prostate Cancer Undergoing Radical Prostatectomy Without Transfusion

“…Hypertension should be avoided after surgery to reduce the possibility of bleeding, and secondary hemorrhage should be aggressively managed. In the case of severe anemia, pulsed hyperbaric oxygen therapy represents a supportive treatment [11]. Iron, vitamin B-12, folate, and recombinant erythropoietin can be administered to patients after surgery [12], and nutritional supplementation can aid recovery.…”