Incentive Spirometry in Sickle Cell Crisis

To the Editor: Bellet and associates (Sept. 14 issue)¹ report their use of incentive spirometry in patients with painful crises due to sickle cell anemia. They show that patients in crisis had a high incidence of chest-wall involvement. Patients with thoracic bone involvement had a higher frequency of pulmonary complications. These complications were prevented by the use of incentive spirometry.Although these data are of some interest, the last paragraph of the paper is sure to cause debate. The authors suggest that “this inexpensive intervention might prevent chronic lung disease.” This statement contains two speculative elements. First, the treatment is . . .