Opioid Use in Adults With Sickle Cell Disease Hospitalized During Vaso-Occlusive Crisis: A Systematic Review

Prevalence and factors associated with opioid use disorder among adolescents with sickle cell disease in Mulago hospital, Uganda

BACKGROUND

Opioid use disorder (OUD) among adolescents with sickle cell disease (SCD) patients increases their risk of complications from sickle cell disease, such as infections, stroke, acute chest syndrome, sudden death, and organ failure. This negatively impacts families, communities, the national health system, and the economy. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with opioid use disorder among adolescents with SCD at Mulago Hospital Uganda.

METHODS

This study was carried out at the Sickle Cell Clinic of Mulago Hospital, the national referral hospital in Uganda. The study participants were adolescents aged 10 to 19 years. Following informed consent/ assent, a sociodemographic questionnaire, the WHO Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test - Young (ASSIST-Y), the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI II), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder - 7 (GAD-7) questionnaires were used to collect data. Data was entered in EpiInfo and analyzed in STATA 15.

RESULTS

The prevalence of opioid use disorder was 5.3%. The significant risk factor was increasing depressive score AOR: 1.11(95% CI: 1.01-1.22, p = 0.035), while living with a family was protective against opioid use disorders AOR: 0.01; (95% CI: 0.0004, 0.27, p = 0.007).

CONCLUSION

There was a significant problem of OUD among adolescents with SCD. There is, therefore, needed to integrate screening of OUD and mental illnesses like depression among adolescents with SCD and to emphasize the importance of family support in their care.

The Associations Between Opioid Use Disorder and Healthcare-Related Outcomes in Vaso-occlusive Crisis

BACKGROUND

In patients who experience frequent vaso-occlusive crises (VOC), opioid dependence may be due to a need for pain control as opposed to addiction; the implications of opioid use disorder (OUD) in this population are unclear.

OBJECTIVE

To compare outcomes in hospitalizations for VOC in those with a history of OUD to those without a history of OUD.

DESIGN

A retrospective assessment of hospitalizations for adults in the USA with a primary discharge diagnosis of VOC using the National Inpatient Sample database from 2016 to 2019. We also compared VOC hospitalizations to hospitalizations for all other reasons to assess differences in OUD-associated clinical factors.

PARTICIPANTS

In total, 273,460 hospitalizations for VOC; 23,120 (8.5%) of these hospital stays involved a secondary diagnosis of OUD.

MAIN MEASURES

Primary outcomes were length of hospital stay and cost. Mortality was a secondary outcome.

KEY RESULTS

Hospital length of stay was increased (mean 6.2 vs 4.9 days) in patients with OUD (adjusted rate ratio = 1.24, 95% CI 1.20-1.29, p < 0.001). Mean cost was also higher in those with OUD ($9076) than those without OUD ($8020, p < 0.001). Mortality was decreased in VOC hospitalizations in those with OUD, but the difference was not statistically significant (adjusted OR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.028-1.48, p = 0.30).

CONCLUSIONS

OUD is associated with increased length of stay and costs in patients with VOC. While there are many possible explanations, providers should consider undertreatment of pain due to addiction concerns as a potential factor; individualized pain plans to mitigate this challenge could be explored.

Applying Comfort Theory to Improve Outcomes for People in Sickle Cell Crisis

When people with sickle cell disease in vaso-occlusive crisis need hospitalization, they often experience fragmented and disparate treatment. Racial, gender, and socioeconomic treatment bias by providers, including nurses, is complicated by the current reactionary United States (US) controlled substance policies. To provide high-quality and respectful care, nurses can use Kolcaba's Comfort Theory as the framework for a holistic plan to assess, deliver individualized interventions, and evaluate outcomes for people experiencing vaso-occlusive crisis. Once in the electronic medical record, it can guide care during future hospitalizations. By refocusing on the nursing value of providing comfort care to individuals in distress, nurses can change treatment outcomes for clients.

Association between trauma triage and time-to-vaso-occlusive events in patients with sickle cell disease after traumatic injury: a retrospective study

Introduction

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with vaso-occlusive events (VOEs) that can lead to disease complications, including early mortality. Given that similar inflammatory responses characterize VOE and traumatic injury, injured patients with SCD may be vulnerable to acute complications. This study is the first to examine whether traumatic injury is associated with increased severity of future VOEs.

Methods

This cohort study was conducted using electronic health record data from an SCD clinic in Western Pennsylvania; 356 patients with SCD from January 2000 to July 2021 were identified via retrospective chart review. 55 patients were eligible based on continuous medical record data spanning 1 year preinjury and postinjury. Patients were sorted into three treatment groups based on injury management: (1) Neither triage to trauma team activation (TTA) nor inpatient admission (Early Discharge), (2) Triage but no inpatient admission (Triage Only), and (3) Triage and In-patient. Outcomes included time from injury to first VOE, annual VOE counts requiring an emergency department (ED) visit, and ED length of stay (LOS) for the first VOE after injury.

Results

Early Discharge individuals experienced a VOE event within 2.93 days of injury, significantly shorter time to event than Triage and In-patient individuals at 52.375 days and Triage Only individuals at 100.16 days (p=0.0058). No difference in annual VOE counts was noted postinjury across all groups. However, a significant increase in VOE LOS preinjury (16.1 hours) to postinjury (77.4 hours) was noted only for the Triage Only group (p=0.038). Cox regression model showed that shortened time to VOE events was marginally associated with TTA status (p=0.06).

Conclusion

Despite minimal changes in long-term VOE outcomes after injury, traumatic injuries may accelerate the time-to-VOE among the Early Discharge group. Therefore, future research is warranted to analyze whether the absence of postinjury triage assessment and intervention may cause unforeseen physiologic stressors contributing to VOE outcomes.

Level of evidence

Level IV: retrospective case-control study with three negative criteria.

Opioid Use in Patients With Sickle Cell Disease During a Vaso-Occlusive Crisis: A Systematic Review

Sickle cell disease (SCD) affects the red blood cells, which become sickle-shaped, leading to their adhesion to vascular walls, impeding blood flow and causing the unpredictable, abrupt onset of intense pain episodes in the form of vaso-occlusive crises (VOC) as well as affecting multiple organ systems. The primary aim of this review is to assess the effectiveness of opioid analgesic intervention for pain management in sickle cell disease during an acute painful crisis. A literature search was done electronically on PubMed Central (PMC), PubMed, and Google Scholar databases. The reports included in the study were from 2010 to 2021, and the bibliographies of retrieved studies are included in the references. This systematic review was undertaken as per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. This study included reports discussing opioid analgesics in SCD patients during VOC in different settings. After extensive research, there were no clear current opioid treatment patterns described, and our conclusion suggested conducting more evidence-based research to improve the quality of VOC management and outcome.