I received this e mail from a faithful dub who is all excited. I got to thinking about it and now I am excited too. Since I am not going to change a dubs mind about the blood issue (Brooklyn has to do that) at least I can try to get information out there so that those who insist on following the B.S. mongers in New York can hopefully do so a little safer...
UPMC Health System Offers Bloodless Surgery to Those with Religious Or
Personal Objections to Receiving Blood
PITTSBURGH, March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- UPMC Health System is offering patients
who have religious or personal objections to receiving blood products the
option of undergoing bloodless cardiac surgery. The recently established
Bloodless Cardiac Surgery Program draws on UPMC's years of experience
performing heart valve replacement and coronary artery bypass procedures, as
well as organ transplants, without the use of donated blood.
Jehovah's Witnesses constitute an important population of patients who refuse
transfusion for religious reasons. However, there may be a significant
number of patients who delay or even decline surgery because of concerns
about the blood supply. While education is necessary to ensure that such
patients are not acting out of misconceptions about the blood supply's
safety, bloodless surgery provides an alternative for those who feel strongly
about avoiding transfusion.
"During a normal procedure patients lose anywhere from 100 cc to several
units of blood, although it varies from patient to patient," says Brack
Hattler, M.D., Ph.D., professor of surgery in the division of cardiothoracic
surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Hattler has
performed more than a 100 bloodless surgeries in the past 10 years.
Bloodless surgery is a complicated procedure which should only be undertaken
by a multidisciplinary team of specialists. At UPMC, a patient would first
undergo a thorough evaluation involving hematologists, internal medicine
specialists, anesthesiologists as well as the cardiac surgeons, in order to
determine if it is safe to undergo the procedure.
Blood loss is reduced both during and after surgery using various techniques
that allow patients to retain their own blood. Several weeks before surgery
patients are injected three times a week with epogen, a genetically
engineered drug that stimulates production of red blood cells in bone marrow.
"The patient builds up to a supernormal level and can then stand to lose a
small amount during surgery," explains Dr. Hattler. "Any amount of blood
lost during surgery is captured and returned to the patient using a
sophisticated operating room device called the Cellsaver, which is typically
used during transplant operations to minimize donor blood requirements."
Surgeons also use laser coagulators to halt capillary bleeding. Once the
surgery is completed, the patient must remain in the operating room for an
additional 30 to 45 minutes to be sure there is proper blood coagulation.
More information about the Bloodless Cardiac Surgery Program and other
comprehensive services at UPMC is available at http://www.upmc.edu.
CONTACT: Lisa Rossi, [email protected], or Corrine Rushkowski,
[email protected], 412-647-3555, or fax, 412-624-3184, both of UPMC
Health System.
SOURCE UPMC Health System
CO: UPMC Health System; University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
ST: Pennsylvania
IN: HEA MTC
SU: PDT
03/05/2001 08:04 EST http://www.prnewswire.com