Cardiopulmonary Bypass in the Setting of Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia

Abstract

Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia (WM) is a rare lymphoma caused by the overproduction of immunoglobulin M (IgM). The elevated level of IgM causes serum hyperviscosity, cold agglutinins, and cryoglobulinemia. Anemia is also present because of impaired production of erythrocytes. For these reasons, placing a patient with WM on cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) requires careful preparation. In this case, the patient was a 73-year-old male with known Waldenström’s disease who required coronary artery bypass graft surgery. This report details the perioperative considerations used for successful CPB on a Waldenström’s patient. Critical to this case was the use of plasmapheresis before surgery. Temperature management and acid/base status were carefully controlled. A successful coronary revascularization surgery was performed. Many of the Wadenstrom’s disease complications expected on CPB failed to materialize.