Refractory Pain: An Anesthetic Approach in Sickle Cell Disease

Authors

• Jimmy Lau, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine Medical Student
• Victoria Schomer, Corewell Health East Resident
• Roy Soto, Corewell Health East

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

10-17-2026

Publication Title

Refractory Pain: An Anesthetic Approach in Sickle Cell Disease

Abstract

Pain is highly subjective, making it difficult to distinguish between vaso-occlusive crisis, opioid tolerance, and opioid-induced hyperalgesia. We present a 35-year-old woman with sickle cell disease on chronic high dose opioids who visited the emergency department over 40 times in six months for pain crises. Each admission involved requests for higher intravenous opioids, refusal of diagnostic workup, and occasional against medical advice discharges. This case highlights the challenges in assessing pain without objective measures and underscores the critical role of the pain management team in reducing bias and delivering evidence-based analgesia for patients with sickle cell disease.

Comments

American Society of Anesthesiologists, The Anesthesiology Meeting, October 16-20, 2026, San Diego, CA

Recommended Citation

Lau J, Schomer V, Soto R. Refractory pain: an anesthetic approach in sickle cell disease. Presented at: American Society of Anesthesiologists, The Anesthesiology Meeting; 2026 Oct 17; San Diego, CA. Available from: https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/21448/presentation/8682