Jehovahs Witnesses - position overview

Jehovah's Witnesses firmly believe that blood has sacred meaning, and that it should not be removed from the body and stored, nor should donor blood be taken in during a transfusion. Therefore, Witnesses do NOT accept blood products containing major blood fractions (see chart below) or any technique that involves blood storage.

The chart below further defines the position of Jehovah's Witnesses. It lists which techniques are clearly acceptable (there are many!) and which are a matter of personal decision.

ACCEPTABLE ALTERNATIVES
Blood-oxygen monitoring devices
  • Transcutaneous pulse oximeter
  • Pediatric ultra-microsampling equipment
  • Multiple tests per blood draw (batching)
Hematopoietic agents
  • IV Iron (InFed, Ferrlicet, Venofer)
  • Folic Acid
  • Vitamin B-12
  • Vitamin C
  • Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (Neupogen)
  • Interleukin-11 (Neumega)
  • Recombinant stem-cell factor (Stemgen)
Operative and anesthetic techniques
  • Hypotensive anesthesia
  • Induced hypothermia
  • Mechanical occlusion of bleeding vessel
Hemostatic agents for bleeding/clottingTopical
  • Avitene
  • Gelfoam
  • Oxygel
  • Surgicel
Injectable
  • Desmopressin (DDAVP)
  • e-aminocaproic acid (Amicar)
  • Tranexamic acid (Cyklokapron)
  • Vasopressin (Pitressin)
  • Aprotinin (Trasylol)
  • Vincristine (Oncovin)
  • Conjugated estrogens
  • Vitamin K (Phylonadione)
  • Recombinant Factor VIIa (NiaStase)
  • Recombinant Factor IX (BeneFIX)
Volume expanders: Crystalloids
  • Ringer's lactate
  • Normal and hypertonic saline
Volume expanders: Colloids
  • Dextran
  • Gelatin
  • Hetastarch (Hespan, Hextend)
  • Pentastarch
Oxygen therapy
  • Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
  • Perfluorocarbon solutions (Oxygent)
Surgical devices and techniques
  • Electrocautery
  • Ligasure vessel sealing system
  • Laser surgery
  • Argon beam coagulator
  • Gamma knife radiosurgery
  • Microwave coagulating scalpel
  • Endoscope
  • Arterial emobolization
  • Cryosurgery
  • Ultrasonic scalpel
PERSONAL DECISIONS
Medical products and therapy
  • Albumin
  • Any drug buffered with albumin (e.g., Epogen/Procrit, Kogenate)
  • Immune globulins
  • Natural clotting factors
  • Cryoprecipitate
  • Plasma protein fractions (Plasmanate)
  • Tissue adhesives
  • Natural interferons
  • Hemoglobin-based blood substitutes
  • Platelet derived wound healing factors
Medical tests
  • Red or white blood cell tagging
Surgical procedures
  • Dialysis and heart-lung equipment
  • Intraoperative blood salvage (Cell Saver) without storage
  • Hemodilution (if blood is not stored)
  • Therapeutic apheresis

Based on a table created by Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center and Hospital Information Services for Jehovah's Witnesses.

 

Main Menu
Review Date: 6/28/2011
Reviewed By: Frank A. Greco, MD, PhD, Director, Biophysical Laboratory, The Lahey Clinic, Burlington, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
© 1997- adam.comAll rights reserved.