 Expected Outcomes. In this Aim, the investigators expect to provide new insights into the origins of systemic inflammation and end organ injury following cardiac surgery. Our preliminary data indicate that postoperative thrombopenia is associated with AKI and mortality. The investigators expect to demonstrate that such thrombocytopenia occurs in a setting of ongoing platelet activation and is associated with systemic inflammation and, ultimately, end organ injury. Together, these investigations will lay the foundation for novel organ protection strategies in cardiac surgery. 