Bloodless Prostate Surgery: A Patient's Perspective
Bloodless surgery center meeting growing demands
Religious beliefs and fear of contracting diseases are among the reasons patients are choosing alternatives to blood transfusions.
By Pamela Murphy
Washington Observer Reporter
April 10, 2008
When James L. Wilson found out he had prostate cancer, he consulted with several doctors before finding one who could help him.
Wilson, 59 of Pittsburgh's North Side, is a Jehovah's Witness. His religion prohibits the use of blood products or transfusions during surgery, and he told the doctors he would not accept them. The first doctors told him they could not do bloodless surgery and that he would have to undergo radiation treatments.
Then he went to a radiologist, who referred him to Dr. Jeffrey Cohen of Allegheny General Hospital. Cohen told Wilson he could perform the surgery without using blood transfusions and that "everything would be back together in a few months."
"Dr. Cohen made me feel so comfortable, like I was a person he really cared for," Wilson said. "That comfort level allowed me to go into surgery without any worries."
Wilson spent only three days in the hospital and had additional recovery time of about 10 days.
In response to growing demands, Allegheny General Hospital opened its Center for Bloodless Medicine in July 1998. It is one of only a handful of bloodless medicine programs in the country and is the only comprehensive program in the Pittsburgh area.
Deborah Tatro, a coordinator at the center, said about 300 patients were treated last year, and the demand continues to grow.
"The majority of our patients are Jehovah's Witnesses, but not all," Tatro said. "We have patients come to us because of contamination concerns or other personal reasons."
Patients who undergo bloodless surgery do not have to worry about contracting hepatitis, AIDS, or other diseases.
Almost any type of surgery can be performed at the center without the use of blood transfusions - even surgeries as complex as organ transplants, brain, vascular, gynecologic, cardiac, orthopedic and gastrointestinal surgeries.
There are several techniques and equipment used in facilitation bloodless surgery.
Some of these include:
- Intraoperative blood salvage, also known as cell-saver system, in which the patient's own blood is collected and returned to the patient's body.
- Erythropoietin, a synthetic hormone that stimulates the body's ability to produce red blood cells. By treating anemia and increasing the red blood cell supply before surgery, the hemoglobin level is increased and remains high during and after surgery.
- Hemodilution, which is the temporary replacement of blood with IV fluids. It reduces blood loss during surgery.
- Aragon beam coagulator and electrocautery, which are devices that clot blood vessels during surgery.
- Microsampling, which involves smaller-than-normal amounts of blood for testing.
"The technique used depends on the patient's health status and anticipated amount of blood loss," Tatro said. "We look at each patient on a case-by-case basis."
It has been a year since Wilson's surgery. He is back to running six miles a day, three days a week, and lifting weights at the local gym.
"Even for those who aren't Jehovah's Witnesses, bloodless surgery takes away the worry about hepatitis and other diseases," he said. "Your blood is like your fingerprint - your blood is your life."
For more information about Allegheny General Hospital's Center for Bloodless Medicine, call 1-877-284-2100 or visit the center's Website www.bloodlessmedicine.org.
