Blood recycling machine bought by JW community

by Wallflower 19 Replies latest watchtower medical

• 

  Wallflower

  Accidently came across this news article from the Scunthorpe Telegraph :

  http://www.thisisscunthorpe.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=56019&command=displayContent&sourceNode=56018&contentPK=9562850

  'RECYCLING' COULD CUT BLOOD SHORTAGE 12:30 - 12 April 2004

  Cutting edge technology for 'recycling' blood could soon be used to alleviate blood shortages in North Lincolnshire. A procedure, known as autologous blood transfusion, is already used during operations at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre, where a patient's blood is retained during an operation and cleaned before being given back to them. And the hospitals trust which runs Scunthorpe General Hospital, has access to a Cell Saver 5 machine for carrying out the same procedure. Instead of blood being washed down the drain during operations, it is collected and passed through a machine to clean it, before being returned to the body - no donated blood is required. Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust has a machine which was donated to Diana, Princess of Wales at Grimsby by the Jehovah's Witness community in January. Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in blood transfusions, and this machine represents an alternative which is acceptable to them. The machine can also be used more widely to benefit all patients, including those in Scunthorpe. A spokeswoman for the trust said: "We have an autoblood transfusion machine which was kindly donated to the Trust earlier this year by the Jehovah's Witness community in North East Lincolnshire. Anyone got any info on this? I was under the impression that a transfusion of recycled blood, regardless as to whether it is your blood or not, is forbidden. If so, is this an apostate act and would the JWs concerned by disciplined? How on earth did the JW community manage to raise the money for this unique machine? Boot sales, tombola after the meeting? Would the CO prefer it to go into contributions box? Would the guys in Ridgeway, London have sanctioned this? Is this publicity stunt?
• 

  sf

  Check out some of these search hits on related topic:

  http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=donated+blood+machine+watchtower

  sKally
• 

  Wallflower

  According to some quick searchs (cheers sKally), Red Blood cells are prohibited. This machine cleans up the blood and you get transfused with your own Red Blood cells.

  But I'm still unsure on the transfusing of your own blood is allowed. Can anyone shed any light?
• 

  TD

  A cell salvage machine or "cell saver" suctions off blood seeping into the surgical field and then centrifuges out the red cells and cleans them up by removing the heparin and free hemoglobin. The red cells are then resuspended in saline and transfused back into the patient.

  Despite the fact that this is technically an autologous transfusion, the written policy is that Jehovah's Witnesses may avail themselves of this procedure as their "conscience" allows. Slightly more behind the scenes, HLC members aggressively recommend this procedure as part of operative strategy to avoid allogenic blood. JW's in fact donate these machines to hospitals and medical institutions on a regular basis.
• 

  willyloman

  Despite the fact that this is technically an autologous transfusion, the written policy is that Jehovah's Witnesses may avail themselves of this procedure as their "conscience" allows. Slightly more behind the scenes, HLC members aggressively recommend this procedure as part of operative strategy to avoid allogenic blood.

  He's right about that. However, at least for now, the official JW party line says storing your own blood and having it in the operating room in case you need to be topped off is forbidden. Thus, you can collect your own blood and put it back in, but you can't collect your own blood and save it and put it back in. This, of course, makes no sense. Which is in line with the whole current JW blood policy. It's become so convoluted that not one JW in a thousand could explain it. Most don't bother; they just check into a hospital that has a "bloodless surgery" program and let the hospital employee who runs it, often a former HLC member and JW elder, tell them what they can get away with.
• 

  TD

  The policy is indeed convoluted. Of the three main froms of autologous transfusion, two are allowed and one is not.

  Isovolemic hemodilution is allowed. (Although it was forbidden for about a decade.) In this process, a couple of units of blood are withdrawn into storage bags while a plasma expander is administered. Any subsequent surgical blood loss is thus diluted by the plasma expander. At the conclusion of the surgery, the bags can be elevated and the patient's own blood reinfused.

  The use of a cell salvage apparatus is also allowed.

  As Willyloman points out, the only form of autologous transfusion that is forbidden is predonation.

  JW's believe that "blood must not be stored" and that "blood removed from the body must be poured out." (They base these two ideas entirely on the Torah even though it says nothing of the sort.)

  It's hard to imagine any honest person actually witnessing hemodilution and denying that the blood has been stored or witnessing a cell saver in action and denying that the blood has left the body.
• 

  willyloman

  hard to imagine any honest person...

  That's the key word. They haven't been honest about their blood policy. They KNOW it's bogus but fear of losing a pile of court cases prevents them from honestly admitting they were way off the wall with this teaching. They abandoned their other "medical" practices, i.e., vaccinations, organ transplants, aluminum cookware, but this one is much too big. You have to give 'em credit, though. They are successfully obfuscating this policy to the point that, when ANY use of blood finally becomes a "conscience" matter, they will look you in the eye and say, "We've essentially been teaching that for years, what's the big deal?"
• 

  Sentinel

  ".............as their conscience allows"

  Well, we know all about that don't we?

  /<
• 

  LyinEyes

  When I was a JW, I always thought that the Bible's view of blood was one of respect for blood as precious to God. I never understood even back then how we could in good conscience take any product that had blood in it,,,,like antivenom serums, certain vaccinations, because to me it was still part of the blood. To me it was like , if you had a glass of blood and you knew it was forbidden to drink it, to take even one big gulp, would it be ok to just dip your tongue in it and get a few drops???? How could that be ok?

  I had alot of trouble understanding how the WT could say that you could have an organ transplant , because in my mind, how could they be sure every single last blood droplet from the donor organ was not in the organ on even on it.....impossible to do or even know for sure .

  Now that I am not a JW,,,,,I have alot of anger about the blood issue because it has been the death literally of my JW's. I faced it three times myself and was willing to sacrifice my own children for this cult's rules . I am still sickened when I think back at the WT's that had the faces of the children who died because "they were faithful to Jehovah " by refusing blood.

  I think in time with all the changes ,,,,umm I mean new light....( barf ,, barf) , they will make taking blood a conscience matter,,,,,only because of law suits.

  That is when the wrath of many JW's will probably surface , those who lost their loved ones because of this rule, and those who may have felt they sacrificed their children's lives because they thought they were doing the right thing.
• 

  shadow

  Actually, it is now permissible for blood to be taken to another location, treated, returned to the patient's location and reinfused.