Hemolytic anemia secondary to a porcine mitral prosthetic valve leaflet dissection

This is a case of a dissecting cusp of a mitral porcine xenograft causing severe hemolytic anemia in the absence of valvular dysfunction and regurgitation. Six months after valve replacement, the patient had no evidence of hemolytic anemia. A cuspal dissection between the atrial and ventricular membranes was found on histologic evaluation.