Clinical Research Directory

Optimal Timing of Ketamine Initiation for SCD Pain

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if the use of early ketamine decreases the chance of admission to the hospital in patients with sickle cell disease presenting with pain. The main questions this study aims to answer are: * Does ketamine given within 1 hour of acute care presentation decrease the chance of hospital admission? * If admitted, does continuing ketamine in the first few hours of admission decrease opioid use or length of stay compared to those who start it later in the admission? Researchers will compare the study arm to patients with sickle cell disease who receive placebo within 1 hour of presentation for the first aim. Participants will be given ketamine/placebo by mouth without 1 hour of presentation. If admitted, all participants will be able to start open label IV ketamine upon admission to the floor based on their clinical needs. Participants who end up starting ketamine will be reviewed to determine if early start to ketamine is helpful in reducing opioid use and length of stay.

Ketorolac for Acute Vaso-Occlusive Crisis in Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease

Pediatric patients who present with acute vaso-occlusive pain crisis may have equivalent pain reduction scores at lower dosing of intravenous Ketorolac compared to standard dosing of 0.5 mg/kg/dose IV (\<16yo max 15mg, \>16yo max 30mg) x 1 dose.

Sickle Cell Improvement: Enhancing Care in the Emergency Department

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder affecting approximately 36,000 children in the United States, approximately 90% of whom are Black. The disease is characterized by recurrent, severe pain crises which result in high rates of emergency department visits and hospitalizations, and decreased quality of life. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, as well as the American Society of Hematology, have endorsed pain management guidelines regarding the timeliness of care for children presenting with these acute pain crises. These evidence-based guidelines are infrequently followed, resulting in increased pain and hospitalizations. In additional to other barriers to following the guideline, structural racism has been proposed as a significant contributor and the New England Journal of Medicine recently called for the institution of SCD-specific pain management protocols to combat structural racism and reduce time to opioid administration. The investigators' long-term goal is to improve the care and health outcomes of children with acute painful vaso-occlusive crisis treated in the emergency department. The overall aim of the investigators is to test a care pathway using multifaceted implementation strategies to increase guideline adherent care for children in the emergency department with acute painful vaso-occlusive crisis.