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Julie's Blood Bank Concerns, Remorse And Advice

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Page Last Updated: July 15, 2025

I recently received an email from Julie that contains several concerns specific to blood banks and heart valve surgery. If you are a patient or caregiver preparing for heart surgery, I encourage you to continue reading this post.

Julie writes to to me:

"Adam - Jon, my husband, had mitral valve replacement surgery on October 31st. Leading up to his surgery, Jon did not donate his own blood to the hospital blood bank. Guess what? Jon DID need blood. But, it was AFTER the surgery. His hemoglobin went way down. I was so upset that the doctors failed to give Jon the option of donating his own blood. Adam, please advise everybody to do this. I feel I made a big mistake as his wife....not thinking about doing that!"

As you can read, Julie's note contains some critical points for patients and caregivers as they prepare for cardiac surgery. That said, I have written a few blogs which address the issue of blood banks. Please click the links below to learn more:

Written by Adam Pick - Patient & Website Founder

Adam Pick is a heart valve patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. In 2006, Adam founded HeartValveSurgery.com to educate and empower patients. This award-winning website has helped over 10 million people fight heart valve disease. Adam has been featured by the American Heart Association and Medical News Today.

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