Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Sickle Cell Pain

Sickle cell anemia is a genetic blood disorder where red blood cells are abnormally shaped, crescent- or sickle-shaped, instead of the normal, round shape. This misshapen cell is rigid and sticky, causing them to clump together and block small blood vessels. This blockage can lead to pain, infections, and organ damage, and the shortened lifespan of sickle cells causes anemia. Previous study suggest that hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) may help ameliorate symptoms and have positive effects for sickle cell patients. In addition, although a few studies did discuss pain reduction associated with HBO therapy, results are conflicting, and sample sizes are too small to carry any weight when compared against each other. No information has been gathered to date about how HBO therapy this may affect hospital length of stay. The purpose of this study is to determine if HBO treatment in participants experiencing sickle cell crisis would produce a decrease in pain and decrease in hospital length of stay.

Current standard of care at University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and Nebraska Medicine for patients identified as having sickle cell and experiencing an uncomplicated pain crisis that is not responding to acute treatment in the emergency department over the course of a few hours is to admit the patient to the hematology service. They would receive IV fluid administration, oxygen, and usually large doses of pain medications, until their pain subsides. Patient's complete blood count (CBC) and comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) are monitored during this time for acute changes. Once pain has subsided and no signs of complications such as infection, etc. are found, the patient is discharged with follow up in hematology clinic.

Interventions would be 1-3 hyperbaric oxygen sessions depending on response to the therapy. Each treatment session will be approximately two hours in length. Evaluation would be through participants' self-assessment via the visual analog scale for pain level before and after treatments as well as tracking length of stay in the hospital. Changes in pain ratings will use the visual pain scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is no pain and 100 being maximal pain imaginable for that participant. Pain ratings will be compiled and compared 1 hour before and after each treatment and from daily pain ratings assessed at hospital admission until discharge. Hospital length of stay is recorded for each participant from date of randomization until date of discharge or date of death from any cause and compared to data extracted from the electronic health record system EPIC.