Question

You are the ED nurse providing care for a 16-year-old female patient who sustained intra-abdominal traumatic injuries in a motor vehicle accident. Her diagnostic tests reveal a lacerated liver and renal contusions. Her parents list their faith preference on the admission documents as Jehovah's Witness. The child's hemoglobin has dropped from 9.2 on arrival to 5.9; she's pale and tachycardic. You know that she needs emergent surgery and replacement blood products, such as packed red blood cells (PRBCs) and platelets, to stabilize her condition.

You ask the patient and parents for permission to administer PRBCs and platelets to stabilize her for emergent surgery. Although some Jehovah's Witness families may allow their children to receive blood products in an emergent situation, your patient's parents do not give consent. What would you do?

Answer 1

This is a life saving situation.Here of blood transfusion and surgery is not performed it can endanger the life of the patient. In order to prevent ethical conflicts it is a need to seek advice or help from an ethical committee .They can intervene to explain the benefits and disadvantages of the procedure to the parents and try their best to get consent and save the life of the child.