A Unique Cause of Intestinal and Splenic Infarction in a Sickle Cell Trait Patient

Sickle-cell trait is a common genetic abnormality in the African American population. A sickle-cell crisis in a patient with sickle-cell trait is uncommon at best. Abdominal painful crises are typical of patients with sickle cell anemia. The treatment for an abdominal painful crisis is usually medic...

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Main Authors: Sofya H. Asfaw, Gavin A. Falk, Gareth Morris-Stiff, Ralph J. Tuthill, Matthew L. Moorman, Michael A. Samotowka
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2013-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Surgery
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/580453
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author Sofya H. Asfaw
Gavin A. Falk
Gareth Morris-Stiff
Ralph J. Tuthill
Matthew L. Moorman
Michael A. Samotowka
author_facet Sofya H. Asfaw
Gavin A. Falk
Gareth Morris-Stiff
Ralph J. Tuthill
Matthew L. Moorman
Michael A. Samotowka
author_sort Sofya H. Asfaw
collection DOAJ
description Sickle-cell trait is a common genetic abnormality in the African American population. A sickle-cell crisis in a patient with sickle-cell trait is uncommon at best. Abdominal painful crises are typical of patients with sickle cell anemia. The treatment for an abdominal painful crisis is usually medical and rarely surgical. We present the case of a cocaine-induced sickle-cell crisis in a sickle-cell trait patient that resulted in splenic, intestinal, and cerebral infarctions and multisystem organ failure necessitating a splenectomy, subtotal colectomy, and small bowel resection. This case highlights the diagnostic dilemma that abdominal pain can present in the sickle-cell population and illustrates the importance of recognizing the potential for traditionally medically managed illnesses to become surgical emergencies.
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series Case Reports in Surgery
spelling doaj-art-5c4ed4d1a0f9484e93d3150aeae030bb2025-08-20T02:05:42ZengWileyCase Reports in Surgery2090-69002090-69192013-01-01201310.1155/2013/580453580453A Unique Cause of Intestinal and Splenic Infarction in a Sickle Cell Trait PatientSofya H. Asfaw0Gavin A. Falk1Gareth Morris-Stiff2Ralph J. Tuthill3Matthew L. Moorman4Michael A. Samotowka5Department of General Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195, USADepartment of General Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195, USADepartment of General Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195, USADepartment of Anatomic Pathology, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195, USADepartment of General Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195, USADepartment of General Surgery, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195, USASickle-cell trait is a common genetic abnormality in the African American population. A sickle-cell crisis in a patient with sickle-cell trait is uncommon at best. Abdominal painful crises are typical of patients with sickle cell anemia. The treatment for an abdominal painful crisis is usually medical and rarely surgical. We present the case of a cocaine-induced sickle-cell crisis in a sickle-cell trait patient that resulted in splenic, intestinal, and cerebral infarctions and multisystem organ failure necessitating a splenectomy, subtotal colectomy, and small bowel resection. This case highlights the diagnostic dilemma that abdominal pain can present in the sickle-cell population and illustrates the importance of recognizing the potential for traditionally medically managed illnesses to become surgical emergencies.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/580453
spellingShingle Sofya H. Asfaw
Gavin A. Falk
Gareth Morris-Stiff
Ralph J. Tuthill
Matthew L. Moorman
Michael A. Samotowka
A Unique Cause of Intestinal and Splenic Infarction in a Sickle Cell Trait Patient
Case Reports in Surgery
title A Unique Cause of Intestinal and Splenic Infarction in a Sickle Cell Trait Patient
title_full A Unique Cause of Intestinal and Splenic Infarction in a Sickle Cell Trait Patient
title_fullStr A Unique Cause of Intestinal and Splenic Infarction in a Sickle Cell Trait Patient
title_full_unstemmed A Unique Cause of Intestinal and Splenic Infarction in a Sickle Cell Trait Patient
title_short A Unique Cause of Intestinal and Splenic Infarction in a Sickle Cell Trait Patient
title_sort unique cause of intestinal and splenic infarction in a sickle cell trait patient
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/580453
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