Jehovah's Witnesses. The surgical/ethical challenge
J. L. Dixon and M. G. Smalley
Physicians face a special challenge in treating Jehovah's Witnesses.
Members of this faith have deep religious convictions against accepting
homologous or autologous whole blood, packed RBCs, WBCs, or platelets. Many
will allow the use of (non-blood-prime) heart-lung, dialysis, or similar
equipment if the extracorporeal circulation is uninterrupted. Medical
personnel need not be concerned about liability, for Witnesses will take
adequate legal steps to relieve liability as to their informed refusal of
blood. They accept nonblood replacement fluids. Using these and other
meticulous techniques, physicians are performing major surgery of all types
on adult and minor Witness patients. A standard of practice for such
patients has thus developed that accords with the tenet of treating the
"whole person'.
