Aortic valve replacement in a dialysis-dependent Jehovah's Witness: successful use of a minicircuit, microplegia, and multimodality blood conservation technique.

ABSTRACT

We present the first reported case of an aortic valve replacement operation without blood transfusion in a 62-year-old Jehovah's Witness with dialysis-dependent chronic renal failure, severe anemia, severe aortic stenosis, and symptomatic angina with minimal exertion after an accident in which she suffered fractures of both her right arm and leg. She underwent successful valve replacement surgery after preoperative stabilization of her fractures and high-dose erythropoietin and iron supplement therapy preoperatively and postoperatively. The intraoperative blood conservation technique included a novel approach with a miniature cardiopulmonary bypass circuit and microplegia with limited hemodilution. High-risk valve surgery in patients who are Jehovah's Witnesses can be successful with a carefully planned multimodality blood conservation strategy.