Surgery in patients with hemoglobin-S disease

Sixty-eight patients with sickle cell disease who underwent surgery are reviewed. Fifty-two were homozygous for hemoglobin-S, whereas 16 had heterozygous variants. Associated diseases were common. Both the types of operative procedures and the complications of surgery, in large measure, were determined by these associated diseases. Splenectomy (12 patients) and cholecystectomy (11 patients) were the common major operations; infections (21 patients) were the most common complications. Precise management ensured acceptably low morbidity and mortality (1 death) in this series.