Sicklemia complicating chest surgery; a case report.

The problems confronting the patient with sickle cell anemia have become well known. Only recently, however, has it been accepted that sickle cell trait per se (sicklemia) is capable of producing clinical symptoms and pathological findings.7’ ‘#{176}‘ 11 The development of conditions favorable to sickling, such as factors producing anoxemia and stasis, may precipitate symptoms in the otherwise asymptomatic patient. Sicklemia may pass unrecognized in the routine preoperative evaluation of the patient, because only one in 15 cases show any anemia.’2 The purpose of this paper is to point up this problem as it applies to