Association of Cytomegalovirus Infection with the Postperfusion Syndrome

Abstract

A mononucleosis-like illness was seen in four patients recovering from open-heart surgery. In this so-called perfusion syndrome a viral etiology has previously been suspected. In all four of our patients, cytomegalovirus was recovered from urine between seven and 25 weeks after operation. In three cases virus was found in blood associated with circulating leukocytes. Significant changes in the titer of complement-fixing antibody to cytomegalovirus took place. These retrospective observations support an etiologic role for cytomegalovirus in the postperfusion syndrome, but controlled prospective studies will be needed to establish causality.