Ketamine Infusion for Pain Control in Acute Pediatric Sickle Cell Painful Crises

Objectives Sickle cell disease is the most common hemoglobin variant in the world and can present with recurrent vaso-occlusive painful crises. Pain control in these patients is often difficult and requires a multimodal approach. In patients with uncontrolled pain after traditional pain control methods, ketamine infusions have proven beneficial. Unfortunately, no source alone had described ketamine infusions for pediatric sickle cell patients. Our objective was to provide a thorough definitive reference for health care providers regarding the use of ketamine infusion for pain control in pediatric sickle cell painful crises. Methods Literature review. Results Low-dose ketamine infusions for pediatric patients with sickle cell disease painful crises resulted in improved pain scores and reduced opioid usage. Conclusions Ketamine infusions have shown promise in assisting physicians in appropriately treating pediatric sickle cell painful crises.