Chronic haemolysis occurring in patients following cardiac surgery.

Since 1961 a number of reports have been published in which significant hmmolysis has been described in patients following cardiac surgery with extracorporeal circulation. In the majority of cases prosthetic valves had been inserted. In this report we present results of a study made to determine the frequency of mininial as well as overt hmmolysis in a series of patients who underwent open-heart surgery for correction of a variety of defects. It appeared that mild chronic hemolysis was a consistent finding in patients in whom a prosthetic valve was inserted. In addition, hemolysis was occasionally demonstrated in patients with other intracardiac deformities.