Good News Travels Far
 When doctors at a Las Vegas, Nevada hospital refused to operate on Anita Wood’s tumor without a blood transfusion, transfer to Chapman Medical Center (CMC) was agreed upon.
“The Las Vegas doctors were not un-cooperative,” said Anita. “They just didn’t seem to have the confidence to do it.” The reputation and experience of our Bloodless Program’s Medical Director, Dr. Vinod Malhotra, and our highly skilled Urologist, Dr. William Pearce, made Anita and her husband Phil willing to make the four hour car trip. Anita was admitted to CMC and was registered as a patient in our Bloodless Medicine and Surgery program.
Weeks earlier Anita had been admitted to a hospital, close to her Las Vegas home. She had been complaining of extreme fatigue and shortness of breath. It was discovered that she was severely anemic due to a large tumor on her bladder. Anita was grateful that she had her DPA Card with her because without it her doctor told her he would have administered a blood transfusion right away. Instead his priority was to build Anita’s blood count. As this improved, Anita was sent to a rehabilitation facility for further recooperation. Anita’s blood count rose significantly but the doctor still did not want to perform her surgery. He expressed concern that Anita’s surgery would be too extensive to do without the use of a blood transfusion. This doctor had heard of CMC through Dr. Malhotra and agreed to transfer Anita here.
After Anita’s arrival at CMC the very next day, Dr. Pearce performed a procedure to accurately assess her condition. The tumor was, as suspected, quite large and would be major surgery. However, Dr. Pearce’s experience with blood conservation techniques made the surgery possible without blood transfusions. After a brief interval to lower Anita’s heart rate, the surgery was successfully performed.
“Dr. Pearce made me feel like he really knew what he was doing,” said Anita. “We are glad those other doctors didn’t do the surgery if they didn’t have the confidence to do it. We were glad to be here, it was the right place to be,” said husband Phil.
“The success of our program is based on experience,” said Dr. Malhotra. He also stated that, “other doctors may panic if they can’t use blood and aren’t familiar with bloodless procedures. We don’t panic because we know what to do.” This proved true when, during surgery, Anita began to bleed more than expected. Having been informed of Anita’s conscience choices by our Bloodless Medicine Coordinators, Dr. Pearce was able to use a synthetic glue to stop the bleeding.
Ten days later Anita and her family were on their way home. Anita says she’s feeling good now and her blood count keeps going up. She is very grateful for the support of her family and the Bloodless Medicine Program team here at Chapman Medical Center.
Residents of South Orange County desiring the best in bloodless care have CMC right in their “back yard”. “Almost any surgery can be done without blood,” says Dr. Malhotra. For more information on our program, and/or help with your DPA Card or insurance issues, please call our toll free number (800) 970-9470.
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