Cardiopulmonary bypass has been shown in adults to activate platelets and leukocytes, lead to the formation of circulating platelet-leukocyte conjugates, and alter adhesive receptors on both cell types. Pediatric patients with congenital heart disease undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass, however, have not been extensively studied and may represent a group at particular clinical risk for bleeding and pulmonary dysfunction. We studied 13 patients with congenital heart disease undergoing operations necessitating bypass, 7 with cyanotic and 6 with noncyanotic congenital heart disease. We determined that (1) the surface density of platelet glycoprotein Ib was significantly lower at baseline and throughout bypass in patients with cyanotic heart disease than in noncyanotic patients; (2) platelet glycoprotein Ib in both cyanotic and noncyanotic congenital heart disease decreased significantly during bypass, with a nadir of 75% of baseline values; (3) platelets were activated to a high degree, comparable with that seen in adults; (4) mean circulating monocyte-platelet conjugates rose significantly during bypass, increasing from 36% to 66% by the end of bypass, whereas neutrophil-platelet conjugates and lymphocyte-platelet conjugates declined; and (5) both monocytes and neutrophils were activated by cardiopulmonary bypass, as assessed by increased surface expression of CD11b and, in the case of monocytes, CD11b expression continued to increase even after termination of bypass. Patients with cyanotic and noncyanotic heart disease did not differ with respect to platelet or leukocyte activation or the formation of platelet-leukocyte conjugates. We conclude that in children with congenital heart disease cardiopulmonary bypass causes loss of platelet adhesion receptors, activation of platelets, formation of platelet-leukocyte conjugates, and leukocyte activation. Cyanotic and noncyanotic patients are qualitatively similarly affected; however, cyanotic patients demonstrate a baseline deficit in the platelet adhesion receptor glycoprotein Ib. These cellular changes may contribute to both the hemostatic and inflammatory complications associated with cardiopulmonary bypass.