Exchange blood transfusion in sickle cell disease: A Mini- Review

Abstract

Exchange blood transfusion (EBT) plays an important role in the acute and chronic management of sickle cell disease. Increase viscosity in sickle cell disease can cause complications when haemoglobin concentration exceeds 10g/dl, EBT can help not only in reducing the concentration of S haemoglobin but also provide the needed oxygen carrying capacity and reduces the overall viscosity of the blood. It is useful in primary and secondary prevention of stroke, management acute chest syndrome, vaso-occlussive crisis, multi-organ failure syndrome, severe anaemia and priapism. EBT is presently been underutilized in emergency and elective treatment of complications of sickle cell disease. EBT can now be easily performed by automated red cell exchange although its limited availability and accessibility is a major drawback to its use in developing countries.