American journal of hematology
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Letter Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Beneficial effects of nitric oxide breathing in adult patients with sickle cell crisis.
Pain from vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) is the major cause of hospitalization in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). The beneficial therapeutic effects of inhaled nitric oxide (NO) on the pathophysiology of SCD have been reported. A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted to determine whether NO breathing reduces acute VOC pain in adult patients and to study the safety of inhaled NO. ⋯ Parenteral morphine use was lower in the inhaled NO group, but the difference was not statistically significant. Safety assessments included systolic blood pressure measurements,pulse oximetry readings, concentration of delivered nitrogen dioxide, and concentration of methemoglobin (metHb). None of these NO toxicities was observed.