The Sickle Cell Patient in the ED – Management of Acute Complications

Evidence-based guidelines and expert panels recommend the following in the management and treatment of pain crisis:

  • Initiate analgesia within 30 minutes of triage. (Consensus – Panel Expertise)
  • Employ individualized prescribing and pain monitoring protocols. (Consensus – Panel Expertise)
  • If no contraindications, give NSAIDs as adjuvant pain therapy. (Moderate Recommendation, Low-Quality Evidence)
  • Avoid meperidine (pethidine) (normeperidine, the active metabolite of meperidine, is excreted by the kidneys, and is associated with an increased incidence of seizures in the setting of renal dysfunction – common in occlusive crisis)

EMKF

Emergency Medicine Kenya Foundation (EMKF) is an NGO supporting emergency healthcare providers across Kenya to save lives by strengthening the emergency healthcare system through capacity building, knowledge development, advocacy and research.