We present a case series of seven patients with suspected cold agglutinin antibodies, discovered after initiation of bypass. Laboratory analysis of blood samples intraoperatively determined the cause of the aggregation to be rouleaux formation in three of the patients and cold agglutinins in the other four.
Keywords: antibody/antigen; blood; blood constituents; cardioplegia; cardiopulmonary bypass; fibrin; hematology; hypothermia; inflammatory response.