Bloodless Vascular Surgery: A Patient's Perspective
Belpre man has bloodless surgery
By ROGER ADKINS, Staff Writer
Parkersburg News
November 21, 2007
BELPRE, WV - Blood transfusions can be important during surgery, but accommodations are made for individuals who do not wish to undergo the procedure.
Veon Wright of Belpre is one of those individuals. He underwent a surgery to correct kidney blockages at Allegheny General Hospital's Center for Bloodless Medicine and Surgery in Pittsburgh.
Wright is a Jehovah's Witnesses, a religious group that does not believe in blood transfusions. Wright and his wife, Fannie, have been members of the Kingdom Hall on College Parkway in Wood County for 41 years.
"Jehovah's Witnesses, because of their religious beliefs, opt for procedures that don't require the use of blood transfusions or blood products, sometimes making surgery a bit more challenging," said Heather Holtschlag, media relations specialist at Allegheny General.
Holtschlag said Wright has suffered from high blood pressure since 1993 when he suffered a stroke. The condition worsened over time and resulted in clogged arteries leading to his kidneys, she said.
"Because they are Jehovah's Witnesses, they needed someone who could perform bloodless surgery, so they came to Allegheny General Hospital and saw Satish Muluk, M.D., a vascular surgeon. The surgery took place in September and Wright is doing wonderful now," she said.
Wright said he believes he made the right decision to have the bloodless surgery.
"I would like to mention the quality of care that I received from the hospital and their staff and the quick recovery time resulting from this type of surgery. The attention they gave my wife and friends who came with me during and after the surgery was wonderful. They have even followed up with phone calls making sure we were better," he said.
Allegheny General has programs that are specifically for helping Jehovah's Witnesses who need surgery, Wright said. They helped him connect with Muluk.
"This was with the aid of the hospital liaison committee, which was established to help Jehovah's Witnesses, when they are in need of serious surgery," Wright said.
Wright said Muluk did an excellent job with the procedure. He said he felt no pain after the surgery and would opt for bloodless surgery even if he wasn't a Jehovah's Witnesses. He said he believes people heal better with this type of surgery.
According to Allegheny General officials, bloodless surgery not only reduces the risk of exposure to bloodborne diseases, it has other benefits as well. There is documented evidence that transfusions may weaken the immune system, leaving it more vulnerable to infection and disease, hospital officials said.
Some patients might suffer reactions to transfusions that can cause chills, fever and shock, Allegheny officials said. Bloodless surgery means shorter hospital stays, reduced blood loss and no chance of blood contamination due to AIDS, hepatitis or other blood viruses, Pittsburgh hospital officials said.
Perry Doebler, Allegheny General spokesman, said the hospital sees many patients from West Virginia and Ohio who are interested in the Center for Bloodless Medicine and Surgery. Last year, the hospital had 365 contacts for bloodless surgery or medical admissions. When the program started 10 years ago, the hospital had 200 patients.
Local hospitals also can make accommodations for individuals who do not wish to have blood transfusions or receive blood products.
Greg Smith, spokesman for Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital, said CCMH can treat patients who are adverse to transfusions. This can be done by recirculating the patient's blood or by other methods, he said.
Jill Parsons, spokesman for St. Joseph's Hospital, said surgeons have performed several surgeries on people of the Jehovah's Witnesses faith. St. Joseph's works with patients from pre-admission through the procedure to ensure their needs are met, she said.
"I think it's important to note that patient safety is a priority. We have open communication involving the risks of that type of procedure," Parsons said.
Jennifer Offenberger, spokesman for Marietta Memorial Hospital, said Marietta Memorial will work with patients who might not want to receive transfusions.
"Whether we can offer it depends on the person, the surgery they're having, the surgeon and anesthesiology. We do have techniques and equipment we can use to catch blood and retransfuse it. We have equipment that minimizes bleeding. We can also use vessel sealing to ensure controlled bleeding," Offenberger said. "We have the ability, depending on situations, to do those things. Someone can also always sign a waiver saying that they do not want to have transfusion during surgery. It's something you have to work out with the surgeon."
Contact Roger Adkins at radkins@newsandsentinel.com
