Myocardial protection with cold cardioplegia in a patient with cold autoagglutinins and hemolysins.

A technique is described for providing myocardial protection with cold potassium crystalloid cardioplegia in a patient with cold autoagglutinins and hemolysins. The patient was only mildly cooled systemically. The coronary system was perfused with a normothermic cardioplegic solution to remove the blood before the cold cardioplegia was started. The heart was rewarmed with a normothermic cardioplegic solution before the blood was reintroduced. With this technique, the patient underwent an uneventful coronary bypass operation.