Use of the Hemobag for Modified Ultrafiltration in a Jehovah’s Witness Patient Undergoing Cardiac Surgery

Modified ultrafiltration is an important technique to
concentrate the patient’s circulating blood volume and the residual whole blood in the extracorporeal circuit postcardiopulmonary bypass. The Hemobag system is a device
cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration and represents a novel and safe modification of traditional modified ultrafiltration systems. It is quick and easy to operate by the perfusionist during the hemoconcentration process. Hemoconcentration is accomplished by having the Hemobag “recovery loop” circuit separate from the extracorporeal circuit. This allows the surgeons
to continue with surgery, decannulate, and administer
protamine simultaneously while the Hemobag is in use.

The successful use of the Hemobag in a Jehovah’s Witness patient has not been previously described in the literature. This case report describes how to set up and operate the Hemobag in a Jehovah’s Witness patient undergoing cardiac surgery that requires an extracorporeal
circuit.