Overview
- The patient, a Jehovah’s Witness in her forties, required urgent reoperation at Rome’s Policlinico Umberto I on December 18 after prior bariatric surgery.
- She refused blood transfusions for religious reasons and, according to reporting, had documented that refusal in writing even for life‑threatening circumstances.
- Before proceeding, the surgeon contacted the on‑duty prosecutor, identified as Saverio Francesco Musolino, with one account saying he received a go‑ahead and another noting only a reminder of Supreme Court precedent.
- The operation included a transfusion and succeeded, and the woman is reported to be in good condition.
- If the patient files a complaint, the surgeon could be investigated for the offense of violenza privata, with past cases showing outcomes turn on documented refusals and specific emergency facts.