Incentive Spirometry to Prevent Acute Pulmonary Complications in Sickle Cell Diseases

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 333; no. 11; pp. 699 - 703
• Main Authors: Bellet, Paul S, Kalinyak, Karen A, Shukla, Rakesh, Gelfand, Michael J, Rucknagel, Donald L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, MA Massachusetts Medical Society 14.09.1995
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Adolescent; Adult; Anemia, Sickle Cell - complications; Anemia, Sickle Cell - therapy; Anemias. Hemoglobinopathies; Back pain; Back Pain - etiology; Back Pain - therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Blood clots; Breathing Exercises; Chest Pain - etiology; Chest Pain - therapy; Child; Diseases of red blood cells; Female; Hematologic and hematopoietic diseases; Hospitalization; Humans; Incidence; Infarction - epidemiology; Infarction - etiology; Infarction - prevention & control; Lung Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Lung Diseases - etiology; Lung Diseases - prevention & control; Male; Medical sciences; Patients; Prospective Studies; Pulmonary Atelectasis - etiology; Pulmonary Atelectasis - prevention & control; Radiography; Radionuclide Imaging; Sickle cell anemia; Sickle cell disease; Spirometry; Thorax - blood supply; Thorax - diagnostic imaging; Performance evaluation; Human; Incentive; Hemoglobinopathy; Lung disease; Spirometry; Sickle cell anemia; Respiratory disease; Lung; Hemopathy; Thorax; Genetic disease; Extension; Prevention; Hemolytic anemia; Pain; Atelectasis; Complication; Influence
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJM199509143331104

Patients with sickle cell diseases are prone to an acute chest syndrome of chest pain and the presence of pulmonary infiltrates on chest radiography. 1 The cause of most cases of the acute chest syndrome is uncertain. 2 Pneumonia is often among the causes considered, but bacterial, viral, or mycoplasma infection is infrequently documented. 3 – 8 Vaso-occlusion due to intravascular sickling of red cells in the lung and embolism of thrombus or bone marrow 9 have never been shown conclusively to be present in the majority of cases. Although the illness is frequently self-limited when the infiltrate is confined to a small area, it . . .