Intranasal Ketamine for Pain Control in Patients with Sickle Cell Disease and Vaso-occlusive Episode (VOE) in the PED

The Use of Intranasal (IN) Ketamine for Pain Control in Patients with Sickle Cell Disease and Vaso-occlusive Episode (VOE) in the Pediatric Emergency Department

This will be a descriptive cohort study of intranasal ketamine as the initial analgesic for children with sickle cell disease who present to the pediatric emergency department with vaso-occlusive crisis and are awaiting intravenous line placement.

This will be a prospective observational cohort involving patients 3 to 25 years of age who present to the Pediatric Emergency Department (PED) at Jacobi Medical Center with vaso-occlusive episode (VOE) in moderate-severe pain (FACES or numeric rating scale ≥5) as determined at triage. Currently, the standard of treatment for VOE at our institution is intravenous (IV) line placement and IV opioid analgesia. The patient will receive intranasal (IN) Ketamine as the first parental analgesic, so as to provide more immediate pain relief while they wait for IV placement and IV analgesia, for opioid pain control, which is currently the standard of care at our institution. The primary objective of this study is to describe the analgesic effect of IN ketamine in treating moderate-to-severe pain due to VOE in the pediatric ED as measured by a pain scale rating at various time intervals following administration. Secondary objectives are to describe the effect of IN ketamine on the need for additional doses of opioid medications, patient satisfaction and disposition.

Inclusion Criteria:

• History of Hemoglobin SS or SC disease
• Age 3 years old to 25 years old presenting to the PED with vaso-occlusive with moderate-severe pain determined at triage as pain score (FACES or numeric rating scale) ≥ 5
• Parent or patient willing to provide consent/assent
• English speaking

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patient with concern for more severe complications including acute chest, splenic sequestration, sepsis, stroke, non-VOC pain, asthma exacerbation
• Allergy to ketamine
• GCS<15
• Obstructive nasal anatomy as per parent history
• History of a psychiatric disorder
• Pregnant patients will be excluded. Female patients > 12 years old are routinely tested for pregnancy in our PED. Patients found to be pregnant will not be enrolled in study.