Raphael JL et al. – Nationally representative hospital data indicate modest but meaningful reductions in LOS for children with Vaso–occlusive crises (VOC) over a 12–year period. Adolescents who typically have the greatest disease severity showed the largest reduction in LOS. However, adolescents continue to account for a large proportion of inpatient stays for VOC. These findings illustrate that the adolescent period is a critical time in the lifespan for targeted intervention. [more...]