Review of Oncology and Transplant Literature for the Management of Hepatic and Pancreatic Resections in Jehovah's Witnesses.

Abstract

Jehovah's Witnesses undergoing liver or pancreas surgery represent a unique medical and ethical challenge. For hepatic and pancreatic malignancies, resections are currently the only curative treatment. These surgeries pose a risk for significant blood loss, for which blood transfusions are traditionally given. However, blood transfusions are considered unacceptable to many Jehovah's Witnesses patients. As the technology of surgery as well as development of new products continue to evolve, transfusion-less surgery modalities have been utilized for Jehovah's Witnesses. The use of these transfusion-less techniques is not yet standardized for hepatic and pancreatic resections. We aimed to review both oncology and transplant medical literature on pancreatic and hepatic resection to develop guidelines for the management Jehovah's Witnesses patients.