Cold Agglutinin Disease and Hemolytic Crisis After Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest in a Patient With Beta-Thalassemia Minor

A hemolytic crisis secondary purely to cold agglutinins is a rare, but recognized complication of deep hypothermia during cardiopulmonary bypass. Guidance on perioperative identification and management is limited and largely is based on case reports and expert opinion.1-3 Cold agglutinins are mixed-reactive autoantibodies usually directed at antigens (IH, I, or i) on the red blood cell (RBC) surface. They are detected in vitro by the observation of autoagglutination in microtiter wells when analyzed at 4 °C and other sub-37°C temperatures.

Source: Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia - March 30, 2020 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Christopher Duffy, Christopher Bain, Sesto A Cairo, Christopher Hogan, Paul Geldard, Marco Larobina, Enjarn Lin, Elli Tutungi, Lachlan F Miles Tags: Case Report Source Type: research