Abstract
Intravascular hemolysis is a common complication following insertion of prosthetic heart valves. Most authors have studied this hemolysis by the use of less reliable methods, such as serum haptoglobin and plasma heme determinations, because measurements of the erythrocyte survival are too laborious and time-consuming for routine clinical work. Increased serum lactic dehydrogenase activity (LDH) has been observed by several authors in patients with heart valve prostheses. This was an expected finding since erythrocytes have a high content of this enzyme. Therefore, we determined red cell survival in 21 patients with different LDH levels after insertion of ball-valve prostheses, and in 12 patients with unoperated aortic-valvular disease. A very close correlation was demonstrated between the LDH level and the half-life of 51Cr-labelled erythrocytes. We proposed that LDH determination was the most simple method available for evaluation of the degree of hemolysis in such patients. The practical approach and limitations in using LDH as a parameter of intravascular hemolysis was discussed.
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