Hemoglobinopathies, in particular
sickle cell disease, is the most prevalent group of genetically transmitted
diseases in the Brazilian
population and should thus be treated as a
public health problem. Many of these
patients frequently present with
complications and require
emergency care at the
blood bank Coordinator in Rio de Janeiro. This study was developed with the aim of characterizing the
emergency assistance required by
sickle cell disease patients registered in the
blood bank from January 2007 to December 2008. A
retrospective study of
medical records was made of 78, mostly
children,
patients from the date of their registration until December 2009. Most attendances (63.7 percent) were not considered
emergency care. The use of specialized services for cases that do not require this level of complexity may saturate the capacity of these centers. However, delay of intervention for
complications due to the
transportation of patients to
specialist centers may
lead to deterioration in the clinical condition.