Gynecologic Oncology and Bloodless Surgery: A Doctor's Perspective
Dr. Jan Seski’s interest in bloodless medicine was piqued more than 25 years ago when he met his first patient who was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. While practicing at the M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston, Texas, Dr. Seski met a 12-year-old girl with a large pelvic tumor and anemia. She needed surgery, but the surgery would likely result in substantial blood loss. As one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the girl could not have a blood transfusion for religious reasons.
Dr. Seski said the response of many health-care providers of the time was to not treat patients like these or not to operate. But even more than 25 years ago, Dr. Seski was cooperative with patients seeking bloodless surgery.
‘I considered this a complicating factor, no different from any other complicating factor, like diabetes, cardiac problems or massive obesity,’ Dr. Seski said. ‘The initial reaction has to be: “This is not a problem. This is a hurdle we must surmount.”’
Dr. Seski operated on the girl, and she survived. He said that in recent years, health-care providers have been more diligent in finding ways to treat patients without a blood transfusion. Much of this has been in response to the needs of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
‘Rather than a problem, it has been a tremendous benefit,’ Dr. Seski said of the Witnesses’ conviction. ‘It has forced us to think of ways to meet the challenge and not be cavalier about the use of blood and blood products.’
In fact, regimens designed to deal with the severe anemia of cancer patients came out of programs designed to deal with the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Dr. Seski said. Thus, many people have benefitted from the innovations of bloodless medicine.
