PERIOPERATIVE CARE OF A JEHOVAH-WITNESS WITH A LEAKING ABDOMINAL AORTIC-ANEURYSM

We describe a Jehovah's Witness patient who survived emergency repair of a leaking abdominal aortic aneurysm. In accordance with his beliefs , the patient expressed a wish not to be given blood and this was resp ected. At completion of surgery, his haemoglobin was 2.8 g dl(-1) and his albumin was 8 g l(-1). He was kept heavily sedated in the intensiv e care unit and treated with i.v. iron, folinic acid and s.c. epoetin alfa. He was discharged to the high dependency unit 18 days after surg ery with a haemoglobin of 6.4 g dl(-1) and an albumin of 27 g l(-1). A fter rehabilitation, he was discharged home approximately 14 weeks aft er surgery.