Exchange versus simple transfusion for acute chest syndrome in sickle cell anemia adults.

Background: There are scant data regarding the relative efficacy of exchange transfusion (XC) versus simple transfusion (ST) for treatment of sickle cell anemia acute chest syndrome (ACS).

Study Design And Methods: Twenty patients who received XC for ACS were compared with 20 ST patients. Hemoglobin (Hb) levels, platelet and white blood cell counts, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), indirect bilirubin, and temperature were used to assess disease severity.