In episode 5 we welcome UCLH Red Cell Consultant Perla Eleftheriou to discuss Sickle Cell Disease. She takes us through the pathophysiology of sickle cell disease (SCD) and the mainstays of current treatment including hydroxyurea and blood transfusion/red cell exchange. We look into the role allogeneic transplant can play in curing SCD, as well as newer drugs and gene therapies that will be shaping treatment options in the future.
Appropriate and timely treatment is essential in the management of a veno-oclusive crisis (VOC), and we go through the monitoring of patients, analgesia, red cell exchange, and the dangers of patients going into chest crisis.
