Hemolytic anemia with aortic stenosis resolved by urgent aortic valve replacement.

A 78-year-old man with aortic stenosis complained of dark colored urine followed by recurrent chest pain and syncopal episodes. Echocardiography showed severely calcified aortic stenosis with the maximal pressure gradient of 125 mm Hg. Hemoglobin was 7.9 g/dL, lactate dehydrogenase was 2,295 IU/L, haptoglobin was less than 10 mg/dL, reticulocyte count was elevated, and Coombs' test was negative. We performed an urgent aortic valve replacement. After the surgery, the patient's urine became clear and his chest pain and syncope abated. All laboratory data returned to normal physiological values. In conclusion, the observed hemolysis was related to the aortic shear stress of a calcified aortic valve.

Returning reservoir blood to right atrium during extracorporeal circulation for descending aortic surgery.

We report our techniques on conducting a closed-circuit femoral-femoral bypass during descending aortic surgery by which collected blood can be easily returned into the right atrium. The main circuit was composed of a centrifugal pump, an artificial membrane lung, and a filter. A reservoir with a roller pump was connected to the main circuit via a filter. Extracorporeal circulation was established by right atrial drainage via the femoral vein and femoral arterial return. On aortic cross-clamping, systemic blood pressure was controlled by activating the roller pump in reverse rotation and shifting the body blood into the reservoir temporarily. For a small amount of bleeding after aortotomy, the reservoir blood was returned via the femoral artery by activating the roller pump in normal rotation. When a large amount of bleeding was present making the systemic blood pressure fall, the main circuit was clamped just distal to the centrifugal pump and reservoir blood was directly returned to the right atrium to maintain systemic pressure. Confirming that bleeding was reduced, the clamp distal to the centrifugal pump was gradually released and blood was delivered to both the right atrium and the femoral artery. We believe that our system is a highly beneficial modality.