Sickle cell disease in pregnancy and anaesthetic implications: A narrative review

Abstract

Sickle cell disorder (SCD) is a genetic disorder of haemoglobin with a wide spectrum of severity and manifestations. It is a significant global public health problem and is mainly widespread among many tribal populations. Sickle cell disease (SCD) in pregnancy poses a unique challenge due to the physiological changes in pregnancy, the multitude of various organs involved, and its complications. The databases of PubMed, MedLine ResearchGate, EMbase, Scopus and Google Scholar were searched for literature about SCDs published up to 2021. Search terms and phrases used were 'sickle cell disease', 'sickle cell disease and pregnancy', 'anaesthesia and analgesia in sickle cell disease' and 'transfusion in sickle cell disease'. Original articles, guidelines, review articles, case reports, letters to editor and abstracts were reviewed with particular focus on pathophysiology and anaesthetic implications of sickle cell anaemia with pregnancy. While ample literature is available on SCDs, there is a paucity of literature on SCDs with pregnancy. In this review, we have attempted to present the relevant literature in a comprehensible manner.