Heart transplant in Jehovah's Witness patients: A case-control study.

Abstract

Heart transplantation (HTx) improves quality of life and survival in patients with advanced heart failure. Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) patients decline blood transfusion (including red cells, plasma and platelets) and are prohibited from heart transplantation at many centers. We report our experience with 20 consecutive JW patients with advanced heart failure who declined blood products referred to our center for HTx consideration. Of these, 7 were declined for transplant due to prior sternotomy, need for multi-organ transplant, or being too well. Of 13 JW patients accepted for heart transplant listing, 8 underwent HTx at our center. Compared to non-JW controls without prior cardiac surgery matched for age and listing status, JW HTx recipients had comparable incidence of primary graft dysfunction, rejection, allograft vasculopathy, and survival and hemoglobin up to 1 year. With appropriate selection, patients who are JW and decline blood products may successfully undergo heart transplantation.

• Authors: Sukhjot Sander, Tahli Singer-Englar, Keith Nishihara, Fardad Esmailian, Jignesh K Patel, Jon A Kobashigawa, Michelle M Kittleson
• Journal: The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation (J Heart Lung Transplant) Vol. 40 Issue 7 Pg. 575-579 (07 2021) ISSN: 1557-3117 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 33839007 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2021 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Blood Transfusion (legislation & jurisprudence)
• California (epidemiology)
• Female
• Follow-Up Studies
• Graft Survival
• Heart Failure (mortality, surgery)
• Heart Transplantation (legislation & jurisprudence)
• Humans
• Jehovah's Witnesses
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Quality of Life
• Retrospective Studies
• Survival Rate (trends)
• Young Adult