Maryland medical journal (Baltimore, Md. : 1985)
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The painful vaso-occlusive crises that complicate sickle cell anemia can be difficult and frustrating for both patient and physician. We describe our experience using an oral morphine protocol for the treatment of sickle cell crisis pain. ⋯ The oral morphine regimen was associated with a significant reduction in the number of ED visits, total number of hours spent in the ED, and the proportion of visits that ended in admission to hospital (P < 0.01). The protocol is a useful tool for providing consistent oral analgesia to patients with sickle crisis pain.