Studies Examine Quality of Care for Hospitalized Sickle Cell Disease Patients and Effective Methods for Detecting Risk of Stroke in Children With Thi...(rmed abnormal TCD. A total o...),Health

A total of 475 children who were followed for a cumulative total of 3,137 person-years (the total sum of the number of years that each child was observed) were part of the pre-TCD group, and 530 children who were followed for a cumulative total of 3,578 person-years were part of the post-TCD group. Cases of stroke or other neurological events were identified from the clinical database, reviewed by the study neurologist, and classified into one of three categories: overt stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic), not overt stroke (other neurological event), and indeterminate (unable to classify based on available information). Incidence rates for stroke were calculated and compared between the pre-TCD and post-TCD groups.

The study found that the incidence of overt stroke in the pre-TCD group was significantly higher compared to the post-TCD group (0.67 per 100 years compared with an incidence of 0.06 per 100 years, respectively). In the pre-TCD group, 21 patients had overt stroke, three had other neurologic events, and two experienced indeterminate events. The post-TCD group had two patients who experienced overt stroke, six with other neurological events, and one who had an indeterminate event.

Daytime Steady-State Hemoglobin Saturation Is a Determinant of Cerebral Artery Blood Flow Velocity in Children With Sickle Cell Anemia [Abstract #1424]

Charles T. Quinn, MD, MS, The University of Texas Southwestern MedicalCenter, Dallas, TX

This study determined that low hemoglobin saturation (a decrease in the amount of oxygen in the blood) may predispose children with sickle cell disease to having a stroke by limiting oxygen delivery to the brain. Since hemoglobin saturation can be easily measured, it might be used along with transcranial Doppler ultrasonograp
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