Bloodless Orthotopic Heart Transplantation in a Jehovah's Witness.

We present the case of a 53-year-old female Jehovah's Witness with nonischemic cardiomyopathy who successfully underwent a bloodless heart transplantation using fibrinogen concentrate (RiaSTAP; CSL Behring, King of Prussia, PA) and other blood-conservation methods. With a multidisciplinary team and the use of preoperative erythropoietin-stimulating drugs, normovolemic hemodilution, cell salvage, and pharmacotherapy to prevent and treat coagulopathy, we were able to maintain hemoglobin levels greater than 11 g/dL without the need for blood transfusion. We conclude that orthotopic heart transplants may be performed successfully in select Jehovah's Witness patients using standard and novel blood conservation methods.