Open splenectomy in Jamaican children with sickle cell disease

A total of 110 patients with sickle cell disease who had open splenectomy at the University Hospital of the West Indies over a 10-year period are reviewed Patients with homozygous sickle cell disease numbered 94, S beta0 and S beta+ thalassaemias (11 and 4 respectively) and one patient with SC disease. Postoperative acute chest syndrome was the most common complication (9 of 110). There were no life threatening emergencies and no mortalities. Eleven patients received preoperative blood transfusion and operative times were short averaging 60 minutes among the 110 patients. Open splenectomy remains the gold standard for patients with sickle cell disease requiring splenectomy.