Cardiopulmonary bypass on a patient with malaria

There are special considerations when performing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) on a patient with malaria. A 70-year-old female with a recent history of severe aortic stenosis was scheduled to undergo elective aortic valve replacement. One week prior to surgery, the patient developed shaking chills and fever, with a positive malaria smear. An extensive literature search was undertaken to determine the effect of CPB on a patient with active malaria, but no prior reference was found. One major concern was the lysis of red blood cells while on bypass. The surgery was performed uneventfully, following 2 weeks of treatment with primaquine phosphate.