A pilot study on the efficacy of ketorolac plus tramadol infusion combined with erythrocytapheresis in the management of acute severe vaso-occlusive crises and sickle cell pain

Abstract

One of the major causes of hospitalization for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) are vaso-occlusive crises (VOC), which are characterized by acute pain and organ damage related to the presence of dense red cells. Here we report a pilot study which combined balanced analgesia with tramadol plus ketorolac and erythrocytapheresis. Key words: sickle cell disease, therapeutic erythrocytapheresis, HbS, visual analog scale, vaso-occlusive crisis.