Bloodless Surgery
Imagine, you walk into the Doctor’s office and he or she tells you, “We need to operate.” Naturally, you want to discuss all your options so that you can ensure that you get the best medical care available. However, when a person refuses to accept blood as an option for a much needed surgery, they are often told that they are not being reasonable or even that without a transfusion they won’t survive. Many have heard this life-threatening statement as if there were no more viable and life preserving options. However, Dr. Abe Steinberger, a neurosurgeon at Englewood Hospital in New Jersey stated, “If there’s any way to avoid getting a blood transfusion one is better off in general if they can avoid it” (Religion & Ethics
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As mentioned earlier, although blood transfusions have become much safer, they still present some risks. One such risk is due to the inability to screen for every possible disease. Some diseases or infections are not visible at the time of screening. Dr. Peter Carolan, the senior officer of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, agrees that there is no way we can screen for every possible disease or infections due to the fact that diseases mutate and evolve over time (Transfusion Medicine, 2006). In addition, there is also the risk of having an allergic reaction to the transfusion. This can occur because the body recognizes the transfused blood as a foreign substance and therefore, will produce antibodies to fight against the substance “invading” the body. In mild cases, it can consist of possible itching, rash, and fever. These reactions can occur even when the donor blood and patient blood are a match. However, mistakes can happen and in severe cases where the blood was not a match, due to a possible clerical error, one can experience difficulty breathing, and in worse cases death. These reactions can develop during the transfusion, right after, or even weeks later. Although the risks associated with blood transfusions are low, medical professionals as well as patients are seeking bloodless
“The science and technology of blood transfusions were also perfected during World War II.” (Science and Technology, 2) ...
Blood doping could have opposite effect of those intended. A large infusion of red blood cells could increase blood thickness and cause a decrease in cardiac output and a reduction in oxygen content. Both would reduce aerobic capacity. The human heart was not designed to pump thickened blood throughout the body and, therefore, it could lead to a multitude of problems. The diseases that can be contracted from autologous blood transfusion are severe. Even more frightening is the list of diseases that can be contracted through homologous blood transfusion. It includes hepatitis, AIDS, malaria, and CMV. In addition, shock is a factor to be aware of.
Freedom of choice is a desire for most, but as we are young we depend on the decision of our parents. With this dependent nature of a child the freedom of choice is limited, for males this can lead to a life long consequence. Male circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin; the skin covering the head of the penis. Circumcision is practiced for religious purposes in Jewish and Muslim communities. Normally, the boy’s age varies from 4 to 11 years old. In the United States, this procedure is also done but without a religious purpose. The boys in this case are commonly newborn. This practice became popular after medical groups claimed that there were many health benefits that came with circumcision. Though it has been proven otherwise, it is still a common practice in the U.S. fueled by ignorance. Circumcision is an unnecessary surgery that leads to psychological problems, issues with sexual activities and lasting physical damage.
Traditionally, the physician was expected to use all of their talents and training in an effort to save the life of their patient, no matter the odds. More recently, the physician’s role has been redefined to preserve the autonomy of the patient. Now physicians must give life saving care only in so far and to the degree desirous of the competent patient.
A pittance for your kidney? It’s highly unlikely that anyone would answer yes to that question; however what if someone offered significantly more than a pittance? A thousand dollars, or perhaps even five thousand dollars? Although the buying and selling of organs is illegal on American soil, it’s no secret that the opportunity exists in other countries around the world. “In America, we have waiting list for people who are trying to get kidneys, there they have people who are on a wait list to sell their kidneys” (Gillespie). It’s quite incredible how a country cut off from western civilization, like Iran, has found such an innovative way to encourage organ donation. In American society one needs to “opt in” if they wish to participate in the
Organ donation is the process of surgical removing an organ or tissue from the organ owner and placing it into the recipient. The donation is usually made when the donor has no use for their belongings (after death) so they give the recipient the necessary organ/tissue that has failed or has been damaged by injury or disease. I agree with the idea of organ donations, the reason I support organ donations is because I believe that it can cause reduction on people dying and increasing the number of saving lives. Patients on the path of death from organ failure often live longer after receiving a transplant (Dubois,19). I am all for organ donations because in my opinion it’s a genuine act of love. It is a
Organ Transplantation is often the best way of saving human life when a vital organ
Although blood transfusions had been used before the First World War, many were not successful due to lack of knowledge in this type of treatments. World War I pushed the development of blood transfusions, allowing them to be safer. Before the war in the 17th century, blood transfusions often occurred with the use of animal blood, a practice that did not achieve desired results. These transfusions often times came from sheep, and although they were sometimes successful, it was discovered that any large amounts of transfusions would cause death. Coming to the conclusion that animal blood transfusions did not save lives, scientists looked to humans for human to human transfusions. Many of these attempted transfusions were met with failure but in 1818, Dr. James Blundell accomplished the first successful human blood transfusion; four ounces of blood were transferred to the patient from her husband. From that moment on, doctors began to learn even more about blood transfusions and how to do them properly. By 1901, the four human blood groups were discovered by Karl Landsteiner; with less differences in the bloods transfused together, coagulation and clumping amounts decreased. This benefited many lives in that toxic reactions to the wrong types of blood did not occu...
At the time, I was unable to mentally get past the fact that she was refusing blood products to potentially save her life. This was information that I did not know the answer to. I immediately called the doctor to see if there was we could do to help her. The doctor discussed with the patient if she was willing to receive intravenous iron. Intravenous iron has been shown to be helpful for patients in restoring red blood cell and hemoglobin levels. However, the effects are not immediate (Posluszny & Napolitano, 2014). I continued to do more research and found that by educating this patient on her diet as well as safety precautions to take when ambulating were other ways in which I could help this patient recover.
Plasma Donation: To Poke or Not To Poke? To Poke or Not To Poke? The question many of us ponder as we think about plasma donation and decide if that is something we’re up for or not. For some of us, the debate in our head is whether we want to help others by giving up a part of ourselves, while for others the literal fear of needles makes them question if they can actually handle the poke. But for some, it’s about making quick cash.
Transfusion in CS needs special consideration as this procedure is carried out in relatively young patients who are usually free of serious co-morbidities and have approximately four to five decades of lifetime in front of them. Ideally these patients do not need replacement with blood, as long term complications of allogeneic transfusion have a bigger impact on them (23).
I chose this quote because I found it to be so ironic. Although it is a children’s book this is very relatable and also a good lesson. Toad is very upset when he loses his list of what he has to do for the day, but, when Frog suggests that they try and go after it Toad says they can’t because it wasn’t one of his “to do’s”. In life, many time we keep ourselves from doing something because it isn’t on “our list” or it’s out of our comfort zone. Like Toad, we sometimes get so caught up in sticking to a schedule that we kind of forget to just have fun and relax. ““I cannot remember any of the things that were on my list of things to do. I will just have to sit here and do nothing,” said Toad. “Toad sat and did nothing. Frog sat with him.” Although
... the engineering of synthetic blood parts, and the use of growth-factor proteins have given both researchers and patients hope. Using one’s own blood via self-donations, intraoperative hemodilution (extracting blood before an operation, then dispensing it back into the body afterward), blood recycling during surgery, and designated donations are also options for patients who wish to ensure further a clean transfusion. Finally, the practice of extracting illness-fighting white blood cells from donated blood before a transfusion may filter some diseases from the donation.
Organ Sale is the exchange of human organs for money. This topic is very debatable because some people view organ sales as morally wrong mainly due to the view that only the wealthy will be able to afford the purchase of organs. In addition, many believe those living in poverty will be taken advantage of because they need the money. The selling of human organs can be beneficial to everybody and should be legal. By making organ sales legal it will give individual donors a better financial life, create a safer environment for those who sell their organs, make organ transplants available to more people and most importantly will save many lives.
The world of cosmetic surgery is one of the largest and fastest growing industries worldwide, bringing in billions of dollars each year with cosmetic procedures that both men and women are having, in order to improve their looks, self esteem, and fulfilling societies norms and values. Cosmetic surgery has been accepted in certain cultures, this is a way of expressing who the person is. In my opinion cosmetic surgery is a good thing for individuals to pursue. As cosmetic surgery improves mental and physical well being, cosmetic surgeries through media, as cometic surgeries are improving health related issues, and creating opportunities for people.