Faculty Collaboration Database

A multicenter randomized controlled trial of intravenous magnesium for sickle cell pain crisis in children. Blood 2015 Oct 01;126(14):1651-7

Date

08/02/2015

Pubmed ID

26232172

Pubmed Central ID

PMC4591790

DOI

10.1182/blood-2015-05-647107

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-84947996077 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   65 Citations

Abstract

Magnesium, a vasodilator, anti-inflammatory, and pain reliever, could alter the pathophysiology of sickle cell pain crises. We hypothesized that intravenous magnesium would shorten length of stay, decrease opioid use, and improve health-related quality of life (HRQL) for pediatric patients hospitalized with sickle cell pain crises. The Magnesium for Children in Crisis (MAGiC) study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of intravenous magnesium vs normal saline placebo conducted at 8 sites within the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN). Children 4 to 21 years old with hemoglobin SS or Sβ(0) thalassemia requiring hospitalization for pain were eligible. Children received 40 mg/kg of magnesium or placebo every 8 hours for up to 6 doses plus standard therapy. The primary outcome was length of stay in hours from the time of first study drug infusion, compared using a Van Elteren test. Secondary outcomes included opioid use and HRQL. Of 208 children enrolled, 204 received the study drug (101 magnesium, 103 placebo). Between-group demographics and prerandomization treatment were similar. The median interquartile range (IQR) length of stay was 56.0 (27.0-109.0) hours for magnesium vs 47.0 (24.0-99.0) hours for placebo (P = .24). Magnesium patients received 1.46 mg/kg morphine equivalents vs 1.28 mg/kg for placebo (P = .12). Changes in HRQL before discharge and 1 week after discharge were similar (P > .05 for all comparisons). The addition of intravenous magnesium did not shorten length of stay, reduce opioid use, or improve quality of life in children hospitalized for sickle cell pain crisis. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01197417.

Author List

Brousseau DC, Scott JP, Badaki-Makun O, Darbari DS, Chumpitazi CE, Airewele GE, Ellison AM, Smith-Whitley K, Mahajan P, Sarnaik SA, Casper TC, Cook LJ, Dean JM, Leonard J, Hulbert ML, Powell EC, Liem RI, Hickey R, Krishnamurti L, Hillery CA, Nimmer M, Panepinto JA, Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN)

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adolescent
Analgesics, Opioid
Anemia, Sickle Cell
Child
Child, Preschool
Double-Blind Method
Female
Humans
Infusions, Intravenous
Length of Stay
Magnesium
Male
Pain
Quality of Life
Vasodilator Agents
Young Adult