Use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy and PEGylated carboxyhemoglobin bovine in a Jehovah's Witness with life-threatening anemia following postpartum hemorrhage.

What Researchers Did

Researchers presented a case study of a Jehovah's Witness patient with severe postpartum hemorrhage and life-threatening anaemia who refused blood transfusions.

What They Found

They found that a patient's haemoglobin concentration dropped from a preoperative value of 12mg/dL to 3mg/dL on postoperative day one following postpartum hemorrhage. Through a combination of erythropoietin, iron, cyanocobalamin, PEGylated carboxyhemoglobin bovine, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, her haemoglobin rose to 7mg/dL by postoperative day eight, allowing her to be extubated and discharged from the intensive care unit.

Canadian Relevance

This study has no direct Canadian connection as it describes a case treated in the United States.

Study Limitations

The primary limitation of this study is that it is a single case report, which limits the generalizability of its findings.