Laparoscopic splenectomy in a Jehovah's Witness with profound anemia

Open surgery in a severely anemic patient may be complicated by a substantial blood loss from a large incision and subsequent poor wound healing secondary to the anemia. We report our success in performing a splenectomy laparoscopically in a profoundly anemic patient. A 50-year-old white male Jehovah's Witness who was HIV positive was referred for splenectomy after he developed profound, worsening anemia secondary to hypersplenism that was refractory to medical management. His preoperative hemoglobin and hematocrit levels were 2.7 g/dl and 8.8%, respectively, but his religious beliefs precluded transfusion. A laparoscopic splenectomy by the posterior gastric approach was performed. The patient tolerated the surgery well and experienced no additional morbidity. On postoperative day 7, his hemoglobin and hematocrit were 6.8 g/dl and 22%, respectively. We conclude that laparoscopic splenectomy is an attractive procedure in a severely anemic patient who requires splenectomy and refuses blood transfusion. Received: 29 March 1996/Accepted: 4 June 1996