Transfus Apher Sci
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The number of Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide is estimated at approximately 8.6 million. As Jehovah's Witnesses refuse administration of blood and blood-derived products on religious grounds, transfusion of red blood cells is not an option. It is especially problematic when anaemia develops acutely, as in non-elective surgery, as there is no time to optimise volume of red blood cells preoperatively. ⋯ To our knowledge, the patient presented here was the oldest patient who survived anaemia of such severity to date. When deciding on red blood cells transfusion clinicians should consider patient's physiologic response to anaemia, as tolerance of anaemia is variable among patients. Even elderly patients may tolerate severe anaemia, as it has been shown in our care report.