Severe hemolytic anemia due to passenger lymphocytes after living‐related bowel transplant

: Background: Hemolytic anemia following solid organ transplant may be caused by ‘passenger’ lymphocytes producing antibodies against erythrocytes. This phenomenon has never been described after intestinal transplant. Materials and methods: We report a case of severe, immune‐mediated hemolysis due to symptomatic passenger lymphocyte syndrome (PLS) in a 4‐yr‐old recipient of living donor small bowel transplant. The Coombs’‐positive hemolysis was caused by anti‐A,B antibodies derived from donor lymphocytes in an ABO‐compatible donor–recipient pair (O into A). Results: This complication was successfully and efficiently treated by the novel combined use of group O RBC transfusion, plasmapheresis and rituximab (anti‐CD20). Conclusions: A severe hemolytic anemia due to PLS can occur in bowel transplantation. This complication should be considered when performing ABO‐incompatible bowel transplant with a blood group O donor and an A or B recipient. Treatment with plasmapheresis, blood group O transfusion and rituximab has proved successful in our case.