Alarming levels of carboxyhemoglobin in a unit of banked blood.
Increased levels of carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) are frequently found in units of packed red blood cells. We report a congenital heart surgery where increased levels of COHb were found in the patient after a blood transfusion and hypothesize that this phenomenon could be dangerous in a cyanotic newborn undergoing open heart surgery.
Ehlers
Melissa
M
Departments of Anesthesiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Albany Medical Center, New York 12208, USA. melissa_ehlers@yahoo.com
McCloskey
David
D
Devejian
Neil S
NS
D000293:Adolescent; D001771:Blood Banks; D001793:Blood Preservation; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000097:blood; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000097:blood; D002263:Carboxyhemoglobin / Q000032:analysis*; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006345:Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood
D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D002263:Carboxyhemoglobin; D010100:Oxygen