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Recombinant human erythropoietin for a Jehovah's witness with anemia of thermal injury
Author(s) -
Boshkov Lynn K.,
Tredget Edward E.,
JanowskaWieczorek Anna
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
american journal of hematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.456
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1096-8652
pISSN - 0361-8609
DOI - 10.1002/ajh.2830370113
Subject(s) - erythropoietin , reticulocyte , medicine , anemia , recombinant dna , endogeny , hemoglobin , blood transfusion , erythropoiesis , pharmacology , immunology , biology , biochemistry , messenger rna , gene
We report the use of recombinant human erythropoietin (rh‐Ep) as an alternative to transfusion therapy in a burn victim who was a Jehovah's Witness and refused blood transfusion. Despite endogenous elevated erythropoietin levels, the patient was reticulocytopenic and administration of rh‐Ep was accompanied by a 10‐fold increase in reticulocyte response and a rise in hemoglobin from 7.4 to 10.4 g/dl over a 12‐day period. We suggest that the exogenously administered erythropoietin overcame a clinically inadequate endogenous erythropoietin response.