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Publications

Journal Article Ppublish

PubMed: 40447476 DOI: 10.1016/j.pmn.2025.04.012

Buprenorphine Is Associated With Lower Home Opioid Use and Acute Care Utilization in Sickle Cell Disease.

Pain Manag Nurs 26(5):585-591

Authors: Charleen Jacobs-McFarlane, Angela Liu, Brittany McCrary, Sarah McCuskee, Mikayla Gordon Wexler, Elizabeth Stidham, Bin Zhang, Jeffrey Glassberg, Susanna Curtis

Affiliations

  • Mount Sinai Hospital-Nursing Department, New York, NY.
  • Department of Hematology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY.
  • Mount Sinai Hospital-Nursing Department, New York, NY.
  • Department of Emergency Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY.
  • Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY.
  • Mount Sinai Hospital-Department of Genetics and Genomics, New York, NY.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited genetic disorder affecting an estimated 100,000 people in the United States. The hallmark of SCD is acute and chronic pain, which leads to increased healthcare utilization. Pain in SCD is treated with full opioid agonists with variable effectiveness. There is growing evidence supporting buprenorphine in adults with SCD for pain.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to describe the health outcomes of buprenorphine use in adults with SCD.

METHODS

This study was a single-center, retrospective cohort study of all individuals with SCD and chronic pain treated with buprenorphine between November 2020 and January 2024. Descriptive statistics and paired t-tests were used to compare health outcomes before and after treatment.

RESULTS

Thirteen inductions were completed, six using telemedicine, two with a diagnosis of opioid use disorder, one individual (7.7%) failed induction and did not continue buprenorphine. Median duration of follow-up was 103 days (range 21-1,497 days). Buprenorphine use was associated with lower annualized rates of emergency department visits (7.2 vs 5.9, -1.3, p < .001), hospital admissions (8.5 vs 5.6, -2.9, p < .001), and treatment center visits (3.0 vs 2.2, -0.9, p < .001), and lower rates of home opioid use (189.3 vs 35.6 morphine milligram equivalent, -153.7, p < .001).

CONCLUSION

Buprenorphine induction was successful using telemedicine and for those with opioid use disorder. Buprenorphine was associated with lower opioid use and healthcare utilization in patients with SCD and chronic pain.

MeSH

Cells, Buprenorphine, Chronic Pain, Anemia, Sickle Cell, Pain, Telemedicine, Opioid-Related Disorders, Therapeutics