Surgical close of atrial and interventricular septal defect without use of blood products. Case report

Abstract

Introduction: congenital heart diseases are increasingly being detected at younger ages; most are surgically corrected by direct suture or the placement of a patch sutured to the margins of the defect, since these are high-risk surgeries, the use of blood products is necessary.

Clinical case: It is a case of a 9-month-old female patient with difficulty gaining height, early fatigue during feeding, grade III systolic murmur, diagnosed with an ostium secundum-type atrial septal defect and ventricular septal defect with moderate hemodynamic repercussions by echocardiogram; initially the patient was treated with furosemide and spironolactone without a favorable response, deciding on surgical resolution; and due to religious beliefs, the parents did not accept the possibility of blood transfusions, so it was decided to perform surgery using strategies to reduce the probability of using blood products during and after it.

Conclusion: despite the fact that the surgery turned out to be successful, the debate arises about the conduct to follow in situations related to religious positions and the possibility of applying safe treatments for patients.