Doctors recently performed a heart and kidney transplant without the use of blood products for the first time at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh.

The patient is a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith and, for religious reasons, does not accept blood products. This may be the first time a heart-kidney transplant has been performed in a patient who would not accept blood transfusion, according to UPMC.

The patient was in heart failure and had been turned down for surgery at other locations. After careful evaluation at UPMC Presbyterian, the patient was listed for a heart and kidney transplant.

The amount of blood typically transfused during transplant surgery varies. To accommodate the lack of transfusions, the UPMC clinicians worked before, during and after surgery to minimize blood loss. Before the operation, medications increased the patient’s red blood cells and during surgery, the care team was meticulous about monitoring blood loss. The patient was discharged about a week after surgery and continues to recover at home.