Outcomes related to intravenous fluid administration in sickle cell patients during vaso-occlusive crisis.

Abstract

While fluid replacement therapy is a primary treatment modality used in vaso-occlusive crises for sickle cell disease, data is limited on its safety, efficacy, and variability. We performed a retrospective analysis on 157 unique patient encounters from 49 sickle cell patients hospitalized with a vaso-occlusive episode at our institution from 2013 to 2017. The median length of hospital stay was 4days (IQR 2-7). The mean total amount of intravenous fluid administered during the hospitalization was 7.4L (Std 9.6). The mean total amount of fluid intake including intravenous fluids, blood transfusions, and oral fluids was 14.2L (Std 18.2). Multivariate analyses revealed significant associations between the development of any adverse event (including a new oxygen requirement, acute chest syndrome, aspiration event, other hospital-acquired infection, acute kidney injury, and intensive care unit transfer)and the following variables: intravenous fluid administered in the first 24h (p = 0.001, OR 1.899, 95% CI 1.319-2.733), total amount of intravenous fluid administered (p = 0.005, OR 1.081, 95% CI 1.023-1.141), and total amount of fluid intake including oral fluids, blood transfusions, and intravenous fluids (p = 0.009, OR 1.046, 95% CI 1.011-1.081). Other factors found to be significantly associated with any adverse event were dialysis dependence prior to admission (p < 0.001, OR 12.984, 95% CI 3.660-46.056) and admission to aninpatient service versus anemergency room or observation unit (p = 0.008, OR 3.201, 95% CI 1.346-7.612). While fluid administration may theoretically slow the sickling process, this data suggests that fluid administration during a vaso-occlusive episode, and especially total volume given in the first 24h, may also lead to adverse events.