Chronic haemolysis occurring in patients following cardiac surgery.

Abstract

Twenty-five patients with cardiac valvular prostheses, 2 with dacron aortic cusps, and 12 patients who had undergone cardiac surgery without insertion of a prosthesis were studied, to determine whether or not the artificial valves, turbulence, or other factors have an adverse effect on the patient''s erythrocytes, reducing their life span. Overt hemolysis occurring after open-heart surgery were reviewed to compare the findings in these patients with the ones comprising this study. Using a deficiency of serum haptoglobins as a criterion of excessive erythrocyte destruction, chronic subclinical hemolysis is an almost constant finding in patients with Starr-Edwards valves. It seems unlikely that hemolysis is attributable only to the presence of foreign material, because hemolysis was also detected in patients studied before operation. The degree of hemolysis is not known. It may, however, be of a significant amount, possibly increasing the erythrocyte destruction rate 2-fold.