A Comparison of the effect of patient-specific vs. weight-based protocols to treat vaso-occlusive episodes (VOE) in the emergency department.
Paula TanabeStephanie IbemereAva E PierceCaroline E FreiermuthHayden B BosworthHongqui YangIfeyinwa OsunkwoJames H PaxtonJohn J StrouseJoseph B MillerJudith A PaicePadmaja VeeramreddyPatricia L KavanaghR Gentry WilkersonRobert HughesHuiman X BarnhartPublished in: Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (2023)
328 subjects were randomized, 104 participants enrolled (ED visit, target n=230) with complete data for 96 visits. The study was unable to reach the target sample size and stopped early due to the impact of COVID-19. We found no significant differences between groups in the primary outcome; patients randomized to a PSP had a shorter ED length of stay (p=.008); the prevalence of side effects was low in both groups. Subjects in both groups experienced both a clinically meaningful and statistically significant decrease in pain (27 mm on a 0-100 mm scale) CONCLUSIONS: We found a shorter ED length of stay for patients assigned to a PSP. Patients in both groups experienced good pain relief without significant side effects.