Nontranfusional Management of Severe Anemia in an Adolescent Jehovah's Witness Patient

Severe anemia in Jehovah's Witness patients has long been a complex and sometimes divisive issue, especially in children and adolescents. In adolescent patients old enough to express their wishes, the decision to transfuse becomes more complicated. We present the case of a 12-year-old Jehovah's Witness female with severe anemia (hemoglobin of 2.6 g/dL) secondary to menorrhagia. She was successfully managed without transfusion, for which the patient and her family were deeply grateful. This case demonstrates that it is possible to manage severe iron deficiency anemia without transfusion.