losartan-potassium and Gastroesophageal-Reflux

An obese 76-year-old woman with type II diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, and gastroesophageal reflux was found to have a 6-cm lower-pole mass in a solitary functional right kidney. Because her religious beliefs prohibited blood transfusion, minimally invasive surgery--a laparoscopic partial nephrectomy--was performed, with a good result. Minimally invasive surgery, perhaps with administration of erythropoietin, iron-dextran, or both, is often a good option for severely anemic patients or those whose religious beliefs are opposed to transfusion. Methods of minimizing blood loss intraoperatively are reviewed.

Topics: Aged; Carcinoma, Renal Cell; Coronary Disease; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Erythropoietin; Female; Gastroesophageal Reflux; Humans; Hypertension; Iron-Dextran Complex; Jehovah's Witnesses; Kidney Neoplasms; Laparoscopy; Nephrectomy