Heart Surgeons at The Christ Hospital Health Network Performing More ‘Bloodless’ Surgeries

Surgery Helps Patients That Cannot Use Blood Products

Cincinnati, March 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CINCINNATI (March 25, 2025) – For Jehovah’s Witnesses like, Jim Parker of St. Leon, Indiana, finding a nearby hospital system that will perform open heart surgeries without using blood products can be difficult. Thankfully, when Parker needed emergency surgery, he found just that in The Christ Hospital Health Network.

In July 2023, a normal day almost turned deadly for Parker who was in the passenger seat of his car while his wife drove.

“I felt really bad, like somebody had stabbed me in the middle of my back with an ax,” said Parker recalling the day. “My wife took me to a nearby hospital in Dearborn County, Indiana where I was diagnosed with an aortic dissection and needed open heart surgery. However, due to my religious beliefs, I needed it to be ‘bloodless’ meaning no blood donations or products.”

Nearly 85% of patients with aortic dissection die immediately. After the hospital said they could not perform the surgery with his requests, Parker and his wife asked around to see if there was anyone willing to perform the surgery in the Tri-State region. His strongly held religious beliefs made other systems say no to the surgery. Finally, he got the yes he was looking for at The Christ Hospital Health Network.

Saad Hasan, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon at The Christ Hospital Health Network, had performed bloodless surgeries before. He was on call the evening of Parker’s aortic dissection and walked to the hospital from his home in Mt. Auburn. Dr. Hasan said if Parker did not get the surgery within 48 hours, he would be dead.

“We started Jim’s surgery at 2:30 in the morning and finished around 8:00 a.m.,” said Dr. Hasan. “To repair an aortic dissection, we have to run the patient’s entire blood volume through a machine to cool the body temperature from 37 degrees Celsius to 20 degrees or lower. This allows us to stop the blood circulation temporarily to access the aortic arch. Once there, we carefully remove the damaged part of the aorta and replace it with artificial materials. It is a true testament to the skill of our surgical team, perfusionists and anesthesiologists that we can make all this happen without replacing any blood products.”

No blood products were used during the nearly six-hour surgery to fix Parker’s aorta. While not all heart surgeries are ‘bloodless’, Dr. Hasan says this could be more commonly done, cutting down on the need for blood donations.

“Avoiding blood transfusions during surgery can have long-term health benefits, reducing risks of immunological reactions and complications. The Christ Hospital cardiac surgery team has refined techniques to safely perform these life-saving operations with minimal or no blood products.”

Parker has now fully recovered and even recommended some of his friends who are also Jehovah’s Witnesses, to Dr. Hasan and other cardiac surgeons at The Christ Hospital. Dr. Hasan and others have performed similar heart surgeries for those looking to avoid blood products.

“I couldn’t be more thankful for Dr. Hasan and the entire team at The Christ Hospital Health Network,” said Parker. “It means the world to have a system nearby that can perform these unique surgeries. For many of my friends, they’ve had to travel hundreds of miles to get similar care. It’s nice to know that we have surgeons willing to listen and work with patients that have specific needs met.”

About The Christ Hospital Health Network 
The Christ Hospital Health Network consists of an acute care hospital located in Mt. Auburn, a remote hospital location in Liberty Township, eight ambulatory outpatient centers and dozens of medical offices throughout the region. For 135 years, The Christ Hospital has provided compassionate care to those it serves. Made up for more than 1,300 physicians and 7,200 team members, our mission is to improve the health of our community by providing exceptional outcomes in an affordable way. The Network was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the #1 hospital in the Cincinnati Region and named to Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals list in 2025.

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• Bloodless Surgeries

CONTACT: James Buechele
The Christ Hospital Health Network
james.buechele@thechristhospital.com