Sickle Cell Disease

1. How do you determine whether or not a sickle cell patient is currently having an acute pain crisis?

2. How do you differentiate an acute pain crisis from a pulmonary embolus or acute chest syndrome (ACS)?

3. What do you do for patients once you’ve decided this is an acute pain crisis? What lab values are helpful? Do you give oxygen and fluids to all your pain crisis patients?

4. Which pain medications do you use for patients experiencing an acute pain crisis?

5. Which patients do you admit? For discharged patients, what is the discharge plan?