Ron Lapin
Encyclopedia
Ronald Lapin was a maverick Israeli-born American surgeon, best known as a "bloodless surgeon
" due to his willingness to perform surgeries on severely anemic Jehovah's Witness
patients without the use of blood transfusion
s. He completed medical school in New York City and established his practice in Orange County, CA, in the 1970s, where he lived until his death.
He pioneered the use of the electric scalpel in such cases, which reduces blood loss during surgery. He promoted and taught the use of this and other techniques that make bloodless surgery
successful.
Lapin became interested in bloodless surgery
in the mid 1970s, while practicing his profession in Orange County, CA. He was approached by a severely anemic Jehovah's Witness
in need of surgery (who, due to religious beliefs, could not accept a blood transfusion
). During this first operation on a Witness patient, Lapin secured the help of the anesthesiologist by assuring him that the blood needed for the operation was "on its way". After successfully performing that first surgery without the use of any transfused blood, Witnesses who heard of his rare cooperation came to him for help with their surgical needs. Thus was born his practice dedicated to providing bloodless surgery
for Witness patients from around the world.
He founded several bloodless surgery
centers in Southern California, including hospitals in Norwalk, Bellflower, and Fountain Valley, and became a tireless advocate of non-blood medical management.
In 1980, Lapin was chosen by a Japanese pharmaceutical firm to operate on Jehovah's Witness patients, with conditional FDA approval, using Fluosol
DA, an "artificial blood" substitute. The unique oxygen-carrying properties of the product were the subject of a segment on the ABC television program "That's Incedible!". During the show, one of Lapin's patients, Donna Graham of Winchester, CA, was shown recovering from an emergency hysterectomy, having received approval for a transfusion of the "artificial blood" due to extreme loss of blood prior to admission. An unusual stunt on the program showed a mouse being immersed in the product, and yet, due to its blood being oxygenated via the fluid, it did not drown. After a tabloid newspaper accused the show of hiding the later death of the mouse, the stunt was repeated on another segment of the program.
For publicly challenging conventional medical practices, which Lapin derided as substandard and unacceptable, he experienced persecution in the form of legal attacks and even sabotage. His story is recounted in the Gene Church biography No Man's Blood.
Although Lapin's early advocacy of bloodless surgery
was viewed as radical at the time, the outbreak of blood-borne AIDS infections helped the cause, and throughout the world today many hospitals gladly accept JW patients who have low hemoglobinm counts for a full array of procedures. Thanks in part to his efforts, surgeons routinely perform successful bloodless operations for all types of medical problems, from open heart surgery to hip replacement. There are even hospitals that openly seek such business; one such facility is Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
in Englewood, New Jersey. It was recently awarded a federal grant of almost $4.7 million to teach bloodless surgery
techniques to army surgeon.
An unusual twist in his story came in the 1990s, when allegations of rape and the bitter divorce from his wife were reported in tabloid fashion in the Orange County and Los Angeles newspapers.
Bloodless surgery
Bloodless surgery is a term that was popularized at the beginning of the 20th century by the practice of an internationally famous orthopedic surgeon, Adolf Lorenz, who was known as "the bloodless surgeon of Vienna." This expression reflected Lorenz's methods for treating patients with noninvasive...
" due to his willingness to perform surgeries on severely anemic Jehovah's Witness
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
patients without the use of blood transfusion
Blood transfusion
Blood transfusion is the process of receiving blood products into one's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used in a variety of medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood...
s. He completed medical school in New York City and established his practice in Orange County, CA, in the 1970s, where he lived until his death.
He pioneered the use of the electric scalpel in such cases, which reduces blood loss during surgery. He promoted and taught the use of this and other techniques that make bloodless surgery
Bloodless surgery
Bloodless surgery is a term that was popularized at the beginning of the 20th century by the practice of an internationally famous orthopedic surgeon, Adolf Lorenz, who was known as "the bloodless surgeon of Vienna." This expression reflected Lorenz's methods for treating patients with noninvasive...
successful.
Lapin became interested in bloodless surgery
Bloodless surgery
Bloodless surgery is a term that was popularized at the beginning of the 20th century by the practice of an internationally famous orthopedic surgeon, Adolf Lorenz, who was known as "the bloodless surgeon of Vienna." This expression reflected Lorenz's methods for treating patients with noninvasive...
in the mid 1970s, while practicing his profession in Orange County, CA. He was approached by a severely anemic Jehovah's Witness
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
in need of surgery (who, due to religious beliefs, could not accept a blood transfusion
Blood transfusion
Blood transfusion is the process of receiving blood products into one's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used in a variety of medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood...
). During this first operation on a Witness patient, Lapin secured the help of the anesthesiologist by assuring him that the blood needed for the operation was "on its way". After successfully performing that first surgery without the use of any transfused blood, Witnesses who heard of his rare cooperation came to him for help with their surgical needs. Thus was born his practice dedicated to providing bloodless surgery
Bloodless surgery
Bloodless surgery is a term that was popularized at the beginning of the 20th century by the practice of an internationally famous orthopedic surgeon, Adolf Lorenz, who was known as "the bloodless surgeon of Vienna." This expression reflected Lorenz's methods for treating patients with noninvasive...
for Witness patients from around the world.
He founded several bloodless surgery
Bloodless surgery
Bloodless surgery is a term that was popularized at the beginning of the 20th century by the practice of an internationally famous orthopedic surgeon, Adolf Lorenz, who was known as "the bloodless surgeon of Vienna." This expression reflected Lorenz's methods for treating patients with noninvasive...
centers in Southern California, including hospitals in Norwalk, Bellflower, and Fountain Valley, and became a tireless advocate of non-blood medical management.
In 1980, Lapin was chosen by a Japanese pharmaceutical firm to operate on Jehovah's Witness patients, with conditional FDA approval, using Fluosol
Fluosol
Fluosol is an artificial blood substitute which is milky in color. Its main ingredients are perfluorodecalin or perfluorotributylamine in Fluosol-DA and Fluosol-43 respectively, perfluorochemicals suspended in an albumin emulsion. It was developed in Japan and first tested in the United States in...
DA, an "artificial blood" substitute. The unique oxygen-carrying properties of the product were the subject of a segment on the ABC television program "That's Incedible!". During the show, one of Lapin's patients, Donna Graham of Winchester, CA, was shown recovering from an emergency hysterectomy, having received approval for a transfusion of the "artificial blood" due to extreme loss of blood prior to admission. An unusual stunt on the program showed a mouse being immersed in the product, and yet, due to its blood being oxygenated via the fluid, it did not drown. After a tabloid newspaper accused the show of hiding the later death of the mouse, the stunt was repeated on another segment of the program.
For publicly challenging conventional medical practices, which Lapin derided as substandard and unacceptable, he experienced persecution in the form of legal attacks and even sabotage. His story is recounted in the Gene Church biography No Man's Blood.
Although Lapin's early advocacy of bloodless surgery
Bloodless surgery
Bloodless surgery is a term that was popularized at the beginning of the 20th century by the practice of an internationally famous orthopedic surgeon, Adolf Lorenz, who was known as "the bloodless surgeon of Vienna." This expression reflected Lorenz's methods for treating patients with noninvasive...
was viewed as radical at the time, the outbreak of blood-borne AIDS infections helped the cause, and throughout the world today many hospitals gladly accept JW patients who have low hemoglobinm counts for a full array of procedures. Thanks in part to his efforts, surgeons routinely perform successful bloodless operations for all types of medical problems, from open heart surgery to hip replacement. There are even hospitals that openly seek such business; one such facility is Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center is an "acute care teaching hospital affiliated with Mount Sinai School of Medicine" in Englewood, New Jersey, United States....
in Englewood, New Jersey. It was recently awarded a federal grant of almost $4.7 million to teach bloodless surgery
Bloodless surgery
Bloodless surgery is a term that was popularized at the beginning of the 20th century by the practice of an internationally famous orthopedic surgeon, Adolf Lorenz, who was known as "the bloodless surgeon of Vienna." This expression reflected Lorenz's methods for treating patients with noninvasive...
techniques to army surgeon.
An unusual twist in his story came in the 1990s, when allegations of rape and the bitter divorce from his wife were reported in tabloid fashion in the Orange County and Los Angeles newspapers.