Defective platelet aggregation in patients undergoing surgical repair of cyanotic congenital heart disease.

Fifteen patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass for repair of cyanotic congenital defects were examined for evidence of platelet aggregation abnormalities by means of electronic particle sizing. Eight patients with polycythemia whose hematocrits were greater than or equal to 50% before bypass were compared with 7 patients without polycythemia whose hematocrits were less than 50%. Patients also were compared with 11 healthy volunteers. Before bypass, platelets in blood from the patients with polycythemia formed markedly smaller platelet aggregates (8.9 +/- 0.8 X 10(3) mu 3; mean +/- standard error of the mean) in response to adenosine diphosphate than those of the other group of patients (21.7 +/- 1.9 X 10(3) mu 3; p less than 0.001) or healthy volunteers (25.8 +/- 2.1 X 10(3) mu 3; p less than 0.001). Mean platelet aggregate sizes were not different between patients without polycythemia and normal volunteers (p greater than 0.05). In samples taken after bypass, patients with polycythemia again had smaller aggregates than the other group of patients (p less than 0.005). This platelet defect is quantitatively related to polycythemia, and may be a mechanical effect of the excess erythrocytes.