Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T18:08:48.945Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

52 - Sickle cell emergencies

from Section 8 - Hematology–oncology emergencies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 November 2013

Kaushal Shah
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York
Jarone Lee
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
Kamal Medlej
Affiliation:
American University of Beirut
Scott D. Weingart
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York
Get access

Summary

This chapter discusses the diagnosis, evaluation and management of sickle cell emergencies. Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) are functionally asplenic after early childhood and are in a persistent immunocompromised state, placing them at increased risk for serious infections from encapsulated organisms. Common infections associated with SCD include pneumonia (from Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae), meningitis, and osteomyelitis (from Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli). Acute chest syndrome (ACS) is the leading cause of death in patients with SCD. Splenic sequestration, or intrasplenic trapping of red blood cells (RBCs), is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in SCD. It is more common in children who have not yet undergone splenic auto-infarction. Patients can rapidly deteriorate and develop altered mental status, hypotension, and cardiovascular collapse secondary to anemia and hypovolemic shock. The condition can be fatal within hours.
Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2013

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×