Sickle cell patients now have safer transfusions at med center

A treatment new to Nebraska is making blood transfusions safer and less painful for patients with sickle cell disease.

To manage the incurable blood cell disease - which can lead to stroke and early death - people could spend days at the hospital being poked with needles as medical staff searched for a vein healthy enough to support an IV.

But the less-invasive chronic red blood cell exchange therapy replaces abnormal red blood cells with healthy ones in less than half the time. Because of the way it's administered, it's also not painful and reduces complications.

The treatment is now available at the Nebraska Medical Center. It's giving new hope to sickle cell patients for a longer, better life, said Dr. Sara Shunkwiler, director of the hospital's blood bank and tissue services and a researcher at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Martin Mwita, 11, was one of the first med center patients to receive the treatment. Before he entered the program almost six months ago, Martin was afraid to come to the hospital, said his mom, Jacinta Mwita of Omaha.

"He didn't want to see anybody in a lab coat," she said. "This has been a game-changer."

Martin had received hundreds of traditional blood transfusions and suffered three strokes since he was diagnosed as a baby.

Traditional transfusions are done intravenously, take two days and overload the blood with iron, which can lead to organ failure. Other complications include leg ulcers, frequent full-body pain, blood clots and infection.

In contrast, chronic red blood cell exchange uses a port placed in the patient's chest, said Shunkwiler. The port makes the treatment painless and faster, taking about eight hours or less to complete. And it doesn't increase iron stores in the body.

When Martin started the treatment, his iron levels were dangerously high. Now they are closer to normal.

Many research hospitals started using the therapy close to a decade ago, according to Shunkwiler. The doctor said the med center adopted the therapy in January after state funding allowed the hospital to purchase equipment for the procedure.

Doctors first performed the treatment on four children with sickle cell disease, including Martin. They're now offering it to all 100 of their patients with the genetic disease, which primarily affects African and African-American populations.

Shunkwiler said the therapy ultimately could increase life expectancy, which is typically age 40 to 45 for sickle cell patients. In the meantime, their quality of life improves.

Martin, who turns 12 next week and just finished sixth grade, is excited to go to camp this summer. Martin can go to camp because he won't be stuck in a hospital. He now needs treatment once every four weeks, as opposed to twice a month.

"The difference in his health ... is incredible," his mother said. "The longer intervals in between treatment will be one of the biggest benefits of finding more life balance."

Contact the writer:

402-444-3100, maggie.obrien@owh.com

Video online

Dr. Sara Shunkwiler and Jacinta Mwita discuss new-to-Nebraska therapy. livewellnebraska.com