Incidence of sickle cell disease patients with pulmonary embolism admitted to the intensive care unit in Bahrain

OBJECTIVES: To describe the incidence of pulmonary embolism (PE) in sickle cell disease (SCD) patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: A retrospective descriptive analysis was conducted with 124 SCD patients diagnosed with PE or suspected PE admitted to the ICU of Salmaniya Medical Complex, Manama, Bahrain between May 2017 and April 2018. A data collection form was used to obtain information on the history and demographics of PE patients. RESULTS: A total of 124 patients diagnosed with SCD were admitted to the ICU during the study period. Male patients slightly outnumbered (n=75; 56.4%) female patients, and the average age was in the mid-thirties (mean=37.4 years). The main diagnosis leading to ICU admission was vaso-occlusive crisis. The average hemoglobin level was 8.6 mg/dl, hemoglobin S% was 55.8%, and the length of stay in the ICU was 5.3 days. A total of 5 patients were diagnosed with PE with an incidence rate of 3.8%. All PE patients were females, which resulted in a significant relationship between gender and the likelihood of developing PE. No statistical relationship existed between the likelihood of developing PE and patient age, hemoglobin, hemoglobin S%, length of stay in ICU, and mortality. CONCLUSION: The demographic characteristics of the population included a male predominance, age in the mid-thirties, and vaso-occlusive crisis diagnosis upon admission to the ICU. The incidence of PE was significantly related to female gender. No significant relationship existed between the likelihood of developing PE and age, hemoglobin, hemoglobin S%, length of ICU stay, or mortality.