Bi-Level Positive Airway Ventilation for Acute Chest Syndrome

Acute chest syndrome (ACS) is a frequent complication of sickle cell disease and is diagnosed by a new infiltrate on chest x-ray and one of the following: chest pain, fever, or respiratory signs or symptoms (tachypnea, cough, new onset hypoxemia, or increased work of breathing.)The treatment for acute chest syndrome is focused on supportive care with hydration, antibiotics, blood transfusions and respiratory support. Unfortunately, despite these treatments many patients fail to have improvements in their respiratory status, or have respiratory decompensation. These patients require more aggressive treatments, which frequently include exchange transfusions, pediatric intensive care unit (PCCU) management, and respiratory support. The study objective is to perform a prospective double blind randomized control trial to investigate if early initiation of effective BiPAP in addition to providing standard clinical care for ACS alters the clinical course of these patients vs. sham BiPAP and standard clinical care. Investigators hypothesize that participants receiving effective BiPAP will have milder clinical courses resulting in shorter hospital stays and fewer transfers to PCCU and exchange transfusions.