Extensive lower limb injuries in a child complicated by complex pain management and profound anemia

Abstract

We describe a case of severe pain associated with extensive lower limb injures in a 5-year old, complicated by profound anemia in a Jehovah's Witness family. The study was carried out in a pediatric intensive care unit of a tertiary level university hospital. The patient was 5-year-old girl, with multiple open fractures and extensive soft tissue loss on her left foot and ankle due to a lawnmower injury leading to severe pain and profound anemia with management of the latter complicated by family beliefs. The interventions given were multi-modal pain management and treatment of severe anemia with avoidance of transfusion. A drop in hemoglobin from 11.6 g·dl-1 at admission to a nadir of 4.3 g·dl-1 on day 7 was observed. Effective pain control was achieved with nurse- and then patient-controlled analgesia plus adjuncts. Effective pain management and control of anxiety can be achieved by a multi-modal approach in young children. Profound anemia was treated without transfusion and without compromise of tissue healing. © 2008 The Authors.