Background
According to the latest figures from 2019, there are currently over 8 million Jehovah’s Witnesses (hereafter referred to as Witness/Witnesses) worldwide, spread across 240 countries1. Whilst only equating to 0.1% of the world’s population, this unique sub-set of patients provides a distinctive challenge to medical professionals, due to their firmly held beliefs regarding blood transfusion and the use of blood products2,3. The basic principle of these beliefs is the refusal of both blood transfusion and blood products due to interpretations made from the Bible, Genesis 9:4 and Acts 15:28-292,4. The abridged quote from the Acts reads that individuals must “abstain…from blood”, and is just one quote which helps to formulate Witnesses stance on blood transfusions2,5. These interpretations of the Bible were first formulated by a group of Bible students in Pennsylvania, and through the dissemination of their work, the Witness following has grown substantially1,6. The community now has its own governing body, as well as ‘The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society’, which aims to promote the societies views through use of education7-10. Further to this, within the UK there are Hospital Liaison Committees for Jehovah’s Witnesses, which can provide support and advice to medical professionals11. This is particularly important for clinicians to consider, as prospective Witness patients present a complicated array of social, legal and ethical challenges12. This is especially true within the field of cardiac surgery and hence needs careful consideration.