Took a peek at the new JW.org and soon got angry :(
"Witness Patients Often Do Better!"
How was I that dumb, are people that dumb? There is NO alternative to blood.
If there was we would not be desperate for blood donations.
It is true that there are alternatives for 'blood volume' in order to keep your blood pressure up, i.e. replace the volume of blood that has been lost by a fluid the body does not reject. However this replacement fluid/plasma etc can't do the work of blood, that is to transport oxygen to the cells of the body. Within minutes, cells start to die without this oxygen.
Imagine a pump and a circuit of pipes. The pump has a setting to maintain a certain pressure. Now add a fluid to the system and turn it on.
If a pipe is cut and the fluid leaks out, the pump will try to maintain pressure by pumping faster and faster, when all the fluid is gone it will lead to the pump breaking, or heart failure. So when blood alternatives are given they do nothing more than maintain pressure in the system. Also remember that there is still a leak, so lots of it will leak out. If blood is not used (out of a hospital-it needs to be kept frozen and lab tested for correct type) and someone is only given fluid replacment, they will die as the cells of the body recieve no oxygen and the whole circuit is replaced with a fluid unable to transport oxygen. Even the pump (heart) needs that oxygen to work.
Eletive surgery is not as risky for blood loss than for example trauma, blood loss can be prevented, fixed and replaced so long as there has not been too much blood loss. However, someone in a road traffic accident with major blood loss, needs blood replacment. Cells will die within minutes without oxygen.
So when the WT publish such pages as this :
"Witness Patients Often Do Better"
http://www.jw.org/en/news/by-region/pacific/australia/witness-patients-do-better/
They are being far from reasonable or honest. The people they are talking about evidently DID NOT NEED BLOOD. They would have died for not having it. This is not a JW success story, it is a JW ignorance story. They are not bringing the world of medicine or science new news, giving blood is dangerous, as dangerous as giving a medication. There are risks and side effects. Doctors that give it freely do so out of concern, but medicine needs to be more constrained yes! However, to even imply that it is safer to not have blood is ridiculous. If you need it, you need it or you will die! How and when a doctor is able to judge when to give blood is easy after the fact! The uneducated 7 lemons in Brooklyn certainly are clueless to the reality of the situation within an operating theatre. Nevermind the basic human biology. If you have lost more blood than your body needs to survive, then you need blood. The body takes a few days (min) to replace blood loss, so it has to come from an outside source. There is more than this to consider however, the state and age of the patient may require transfusion as a prophylaxis.
So discussing intricate cardiac surgery where they are manipulating arteries the width of small drinking straws (with decades of training) and leaving the obvious unspoken issue of major blood loss from trauma or other blood issues such as blood cancers where transfusion is vital, they are being very irresponsible.
Also, in addition to this is the fact that the professor clearly stated "Witnesses were given better treatment by doctors trying to preserve their blood." and this is no small matter. By demanding such treatment doctors are forced to give JW's more time, attention and focus. In an ideal world this would be done for all, but the cake can only be sliced so many times.
JW's will see that page as "Saying no to blood is a safer option!".... I hope the person that wrote it can carry that on their conscience, I certainly could not.
Snare x