Aortic aneurysm can be treated, even with many limitations and without blood transfusion
With a team of expert cardiologists and the application of medical advances to support the patient’s beliefs
Summary of the video content
A Japanese patient had sudden chest pain like being stabbed by a sharp object, along with numbness in the lower part of the body and severe pain radiating to the right side.
- The doctors diagnosed a ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm, a medical emergency requiring urgent surgery.
- The patient is a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, whose belief strictly forbids receiving blood from others, even during treatment.
- The medical team had to design a special surgical approach to avoid any blood transfusion throughout the entire process, using a hemodilution technique: drawing the patient’s own blood and storing it before surgery to be reused later.
- Every drop of blood lost during surgery was collected and returned to the patient; none was discarded and no donor blood was used.
- The patient’s body temperature had to be controlled at around 25°C, which is necessary for aortic surgery that requires temporarily stopping the heartbeat.
- Wound suturing had to be done with the highest precision to prevent postoperative bleeding, since it could not be compensated for with additional transfusions.
- The patient was transferred from Cambodia for treatment at Bangkok Heart Hospital, with coordination and surgical preparation carried out rapidly.
- The surgery was successful despite religious-belief constraints that greatly increased the challenge for the medical team, reflecting the integration of medical advances with respect for the patient’s beliefs.