Vaso-Occlusive Crisis Assessment
A child with sickle cell anemia comes to the emergency
department for evaluation. The nurse suspects that the child
is experiencing a vaso-occlusive crisis based on assessment
of which signs and symptoms? Select all that apply.
Low back pain Fever
Distended abdomen
Clinical manifestations of an acute vaso-occlusive crisis
include severe pain (usually in bones, joints, and abdomen
but can occur anywhere on the body (e.g. lower back pain),
hematuria, obstructive jaundice, visual disturbances, and
tissue engorgement (e.g. distended abdomen). Fever is a sign
of infection which can cause a vaso-occlusive crisis in clients
with sickle cell anemia.
This study source was downloaded by 100000897367967 from CourseHero.com on 12-10-2025 08:03:31 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/252981860/NR-328-Week-3-Edapt-Vaso-Occlusive-Crisis-Assessmentdocx/
, Sickle Cell Anemia: Clinical
Manifestations
Clinical Manifestations
• Family history of sickle cell anemia or sickle cell trait
• Shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness
• Pallor, pale mucous membranes
• Acute pain due to blocked blood vessels and tissue ischemia
• Brain- stroke, headache
• Eyes- retinopathy, blindness, hemorrhage
• Heart- heart failure
• Chest/Lungs- pain, chest syndrome, pneumonia,
pulmonary hypertension, atelectasis
• Abdomen- pain
• Spleen- splenomegaly, splenic
sequestration, autosplenectomy
• Liver- jaundice, hepatic coma
• Gall Bladder- gallstones
• Kidneys- hematuria, impaired function
• Genitourinary- painful erection (priapism),
hematuria, hyposthenuria (dilute urine)
• Extremities- pain, hands and feet cool, dactylitis (hand-
foot syndrome), avascular necrosis (shoulder & hip),
osteomyelitis, chronic ulcers (rare in children)
Assessment Findings by Age Group
• Infants
• Before age 4 months, symptoms are rare because
of fetal hemoglobin
• Colic from pain caused by abdominal infarction
and/or splenomegaly from sequestered red blood
cells (RBCs)
• Toddlers & Preschoolers
• Hypovolemia and shock from sequestration of
large amounts of blood in spleen
• Pain at the site of the vaso-occlusive crisis
This study source was downloaded by 100000897367967 from CourseHero.com on 12-10-2025 08:03:31 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/252981860/NR-328-Week-3-Edapt-Vaso-Occlusive-Crisis-Assessmentdocx/
A child with sickle cell anemia comes to the emergency
department for evaluation. The nurse suspects that the child
is experiencing a vaso-occlusive crisis based on assessment
of which signs and symptoms? Select all that apply.
Low back pain Fever
Distended abdomen
Clinical manifestations of an acute vaso-occlusive crisis
include severe pain (usually in bones, joints, and abdomen
but can occur anywhere on the body (e.g. lower back pain),
hematuria, obstructive jaundice, visual disturbances, and
tissue engorgement (e.g. distended abdomen). Fever is a sign
of infection which can cause a vaso-occlusive crisis in clients
with sickle cell anemia.
This study source was downloaded by 100000897367967 from CourseHero.com on 12-10-2025 08:03:31 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/252981860/NR-328-Week-3-Edapt-Vaso-Occlusive-Crisis-Assessmentdocx/
, Sickle Cell Anemia: Clinical
Manifestations
Clinical Manifestations
• Family history of sickle cell anemia or sickle cell trait
• Shortness of breath, fatigue, dizziness
• Pallor, pale mucous membranes
• Acute pain due to blocked blood vessels and tissue ischemia
• Brain- stroke, headache
• Eyes- retinopathy, blindness, hemorrhage
• Heart- heart failure
• Chest/Lungs- pain, chest syndrome, pneumonia,
pulmonary hypertension, atelectasis
• Abdomen- pain
• Spleen- splenomegaly, splenic
sequestration, autosplenectomy
• Liver- jaundice, hepatic coma
• Gall Bladder- gallstones
• Kidneys- hematuria, impaired function
• Genitourinary- painful erection (priapism),
hematuria, hyposthenuria (dilute urine)
• Extremities- pain, hands and feet cool, dactylitis (hand-
foot syndrome), avascular necrosis (shoulder & hip),
osteomyelitis, chronic ulcers (rare in children)
Assessment Findings by Age Group
• Infants
• Before age 4 months, symptoms are rare because
of fetal hemoglobin
• Colic from pain caused by abdominal infarction
and/or splenomegaly from sequestered red blood
cells (RBCs)
• Toddlers & Preschoolers
• Hypovolemia and shock from sequestration of
large amounts of blood in spleen
• Pain at the site of the vaso-occlusive crisis
This study source was downloaded by 100000897367967 from CourseHero.com on 12-10-2025 08:03:31 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/252981860/NR-328-Week-3-Edapt-Vaso-Occlusive-Crisis-Assessmentdocx/
