A new study in Lancet shows a drug, Tranexamic acid, could save the life of a Preganant JW woman who is experiencing heaving bleeding following childbirth. Hopefully, Watchtower H.I.S. is paying attention, and gets this information out asap. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/apr/26/cheap-widely-available-drug-could-stop-thousands-of-mothers-bleeding-to-death-tranexamic-acid
Drug could reduce bleeding deaths of JW moms. WT Pay Attention
by Lee Elder 11 Replies latest watchtower medical
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Lee Elder
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Phizzy
I heard this on the News today, and it sounds wonderful for mothers everywhere, but especially in poorer Countries where Mothers may be more at risk due to malnutrition etc
This is a relatively inexpensive drug too, good news all round.
The only thing I worry about with the JW's is that their ignorance may still be the cause of unnecessary deaths. It may well be that this drug will help no end, but even so some Transfused blood may be needed on occasion to save the mother's life.
The murderous, and unscriptural stance that is still the JW Org's Doctrine on the use of blood to save life will still make JW mother's needlessly risk, or even sacrifice their lives.
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OrphanCrow
Lee: Hopefully, Watchtower H.I.S. is paying attention, and gets this information out asap.
Tranexamic acid has been used fairly often to reduce bleeding in JW maternal patients - they were the first it was used on. The HLC has been promoting it for many years - the 2001 "Helping Hands" manual contains studies that date in the 90s that include tranexamic acid as one of the techniques used to reduce blood loss.
Page 429 of Part 5 of Helping Hands of Blood Conservation Techniques, May 2001 lists tranexamic as a hemostatic agent.
Google Scholar lists numerous papers that have been published with JW patients and the course of treatment includes tranexamic acid.
Here is one that was published in 2010:
Tarek Samir Arab, MBChB, Ahmad Bakr Al-Wazzan, MBChB, Ken Maslow, MD FRCSC Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg MB
Tranexamic has been around for many years (it was discovered in 1962) and the Jehovah's Witness population has been one of the first that it was used on.
By 2008, the administration of tranexamic was routinely being used for postpartum bleeding in Jehovah's Witness women. It was the HLC who promoted the use of tranexamic acid in JW women as a treatment to help with postpartum bleeding.
However, it was still unclear if tranexamic acid was effective in treating postpartum hemorrhage in the general population. So, in 2010, a world wide trial was launched:
WORLD MATERNAL ANTIFIBRINOLYTIC TRIAL
It will be the results of the WOMAN trial that will have prompted this latest news release. This is yet another feather in the WTS' cap when it comes to boasting how the Jehovah's Witnesses have improved medicine.
But we will never know how many Jehovah's Witness women died (and still die) from postpartum hemorrhage when the tranexamic acid wasn't (isn't) as effective as the best treatment for bleeding - blood itself. In the WOMAN trial, the participants still had the option to have blood when needed - the study was designed to measure blood loss reduction - it was not designed for tranexamic acid being used because blood cannot be.
Tranexamic acid helps to reduce blood loss - it doesn't replace blood.
*to add - from the article in the OP:
It has taken a long time to show that the drug does work in the context it was designed for. Professor Ian Roberts from the London School, who co-led the study, said: “The researchers who invented tranexamic acid more than 50 years ago hoped it would reduce deaths from postpartum haemorrhage, but they couldn’t persuade obstetricians at the time to conduct a trial. Now we finally have these results that we hope can help save women’s lives around the world.”
The researchers couldn't persuade obstetricians at the time to conduct a trial. No...they needed the help of the HLC to promote it first. Just think of all the JW women who helped bring that trial to realization - years and years of JW women being denied life saving blood transfusions just so this drug could be used for the general population.
This is not a boon for JW women - it is just another way that they have been used as guinea pigs for medical advancement.
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Lee Elder
It appears to have the potential to reduce mortality by 20%-30% in the general population who have access to the safety net of red cell transfusion. The benefit to JW mothers will be less, but now there is strong evidence to support its early use at the first sign of bleeding.
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OrphanCrow
Lee: It appears to have the potential to reduce mortality by 20%-30% in the general population who have access to the safety net of red cell transfusion. The benefit to JW mothers will be less, but now there is strong evidence to support its early use at the first sign of bleeding.
There is no doubt that this is a good thing for the general population.
Yes, this drug can now be confidently used to reduce bleeding in maternal patients.
It has been used on JW women for years - they will not see any added benefit whatsoever other than the satisfaction of knowing that other women, who do have the option of replacing lost blood, can now be treated more effectively and for less cost.
The only thing that would benefit JW women is being able to access shared blood like the rest of the population can. This "breakthrough" with tranexamic acid is meaningless to the JW women - what would be a breakthrough is if the WTS/HLC quit using pregnant women and their babies to promote these "breakthroughs".
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wifibandit
Yes, their official site has many mentions of it in the portal for medical professionals.
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darkspilver
thanks for the link - I believe that, although The Guardian has the lowest circulation of any national newspaper in the UK, it tradtionally has a higher proportion of readers in the medical/social fields.
Lee Elder: Hopefully, Watchtower H.I.S. is paying attention, and gets this information out asap.
Have you been able to read the JW's "Care Plan for Women in Labour Refusing a Blood Transfusion"? I believe it is the standard form that the JW's distribute to all expectant mums-to-be? The one below is six years old.
"Care Plan for Women in Labour Refusing a Blood Transfusion" (Jan 2011 Edition)
Management of active haemorrhage
Other haemostatic agents:
Tranexamic acid (Cyklokapron): anti-fibrinolytic agent well established for controlling haemorrhage, use 1gm IV x tds, slowly.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4oXVPm4nrmfWXAtd2tvRnplSVk/view
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Lee Elder
These points are well taken. Bear in mind, however, that physicians are not generally inclined to take unsolicited medical advice from a religious publishing corporation to begin with, particularly when there is no double blind study to confirm it is a best practice. Additionally, it would be a mistake to assume that every pregnant JW woman is getting HLC advance, because that is not happening, and neither do we want it to as it could interfere with free and informed choice. These situations are unpredictable, and typically extremely urgent. The study is important enough for WT to make a special effort to bring it to the attention of all obstetricians if possible, to update their materials to include it, and perhaps have an article available to the general JW population.
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Drearyweather
Bear in mind, however, that physicians are not generally inclined to take unsolicited medical advice from a religious publishing corporation to begin with, particularly when there is no double blind study to confirm it is a best practice.
As per my experience, JW HLC members do not provide any medical advice to the physicians. The medical documents that they provide to the physicians contains options and alternative medical treatment that is available in the city/country which can be used as an alternative to blood transfusion.
And these documents possessed by the HLC are not just watchtower or awake articles, but actual medical documents written by medical experts. A sample of this can be seen on https://www.jw.org/en/medical-library/
In India, around 5 years ago, a family friend of ours was admitted with a severe heart disease that required immediate blood transfusion. The local surgeon flatly refused the option for bloodless surgery and mentioned that there is no option yet available for such a treatment in the country. It was then that the HLC explained the surgeon about the treatment options and immediately shifted her to another hospital with a surgeon who agreed for the bloodless treatment. The treatment was successful and the story went on to become national headlines:
Another case that happened with the intervention of the local HLC:
http://www.moolchandfertility.com/media-centre/press-releases/india-s-first-bloodless
My brother in law, who is a member of the HLC, mentioned that every month, meetings are organized with the leading surgeons of the country and quarterly conferences are arranged by the HIS department by the local branch where physicians and surgeons are invited to address and update the community with the latest drugs and options available for JW's.
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darkspilver
Lee Elder:
Hopefully, Watchtower H.I.S. is paying attention, and gets this information out asap
one day later...
Additionally, it would be a mistake to assume that every pregnant JW woman is getting HLC advance, because that is not happening, and neither do we want it to
Sorry, this is kinda confusing
So firstly you want the WT to get the information out - which they appear to have done so for at least the last six years via the 'Care Plan'?
Then you say you don't want them to get the information out into the hands of those directly effected ? - by not distributing the 'Care Plan'?
Which one is it?