Take My Pain Away: Inpatient Sickle Cell Management-Presentation

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Dr. Nimesh Shah discussed the challenge of managing sickle cell pain in hospitalized patients, emphasizing that pain is common, complex, and often underrecognized. He explained the difference between acute vaso-occlusive pain and chronic pain, noting that many patients experience pain most days but only a small fraction seek acute care. Because there is no reliable objective marker of pain, clinicians must rely primarily on the patient’s report while considering contributing factors such as neuropathic pain, stress, and psychosocial issues.<br /><br />He highlighted key management principles from American Society of Hematology guidelines: treat pain quickly, use individualized pain plans, reassess frequently, and consider patient-controlled analgesia, NSAIDs when appropriate, and careful fluid management. He also reviewed adjunct options such as low-dose ketamine, regional anesthesia, and nonpharmacologic therapies like massage, yoga, virtual reality, mindfulness, and acupuncture. For chronic pain, he discussed the possible role of antidepressant-type medications such as SNRIs and tricyclics, and the need to individualize opioid use.<br /><br />Overall, he stressed multidisciplinary care, consistency across settings, and involving the patient in decision-making to improve outcomes and reduce repeated hospitalizations.

Meta Tag

Concept Sickle Cell Disease

Concept Acute Vaso-Occlusive Pain

Concept Patient Self-Report

Concept Acute Pain Management

Concept Chronic Pain

Keywords

sickle cell pain

hospitalized patients

vaso-occlusive crisis

pain management

American Society of Hematology guidelines

patient-controlled analgesia

multidisciplinary care

Sickle Cell Disease

Acute Vaso-Occlusive Pain

Patient Self-Report

Acute Pain Management

Chronic Pain