What are the complications of splenectomy?
Splenectomy Complications
- Blood clot in the vein that carries blood to the liver.
- Hernia at the incision site.
- Infection at the incision site.
- Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis)
- Lung collapse.
- Injury to the pancreas, stomach, and colon.
Which is the most common early complication following splenectomy?
Infections, particularly pulmonary and abdominal sepsis, constitute the majority of the complications. The mortality rate from postoperative sepsis is substantial. Atelectasis, pancreatitis/fistula, pulmonary embolism and bleeding at the operative site are also relatively common occurrences following splenic removal.
What are the complications of living without a spleen?
If the spleen does not work properly, it may start to remove healthy blood cells. This can lead to: anaemia, from a reduced number of red blood cells. an increased risk of infection, from a reduced number of white blood cells.
What are the long term effects of a splenectomy?
A recent study from a large cohort of American veterans showed an increased risk of death due to septicemia, pulmonary embolism, coronary artery disease and cancer more than 10 years after splenectomy.
What is the most common complication of splenectomy?
The most widely recognized long-term risk of splenectomy is overwhelming bacterial infection. More recently, thrombosis has become appreciated as another potential complication of the procedure.
What happens to RBC after splenectomy?
It is known that splenectomy improves the RBC count, hemoglobin (Hb) levels, and hematocrit, and that it reduces mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and the percentage of reticulocytes (Reliene et al., 2002; Li et al., 2016; Zaninoni et al., 2018; Huisjes et al., 2020).
Which organism causes infection after splenectomy?
Overwhelming post-splenectomy infection is usually caused by the encapsulated bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis and more than half of those infected die.
How does splenectomy affect WBC?
Splenectomy is associated with an early drop in leukocyte numbers postoperatively and a subsequent persistent leukocytosis. Admission WBC counts are similar in both the non-operative and operative splenic injury treatment groups. Directly after surgery, WBC counts were lower in the operative group vs.
Does WBC go up after splenectomy?
Background: The White Blood Cell (WBC) and Platelet (PLT) counts typically increase after a splenectomy. These changes make interpretation of postoperative lab values difficult and may unduly raise concerns for complications.
What antibiotics are given after splenectomy?
Management of patients with asplenia with fever
| Routine prophylaxis* | |
|---|---|
| <3 y | PCN VK 125 mg twice daily (or amoxicillin 10 mg/kg by mouth twice daily) |
| Adults with PCN allergy | Cephalexin 250 mg by mouth twice daily |
| Azithromycin 250 mg by mouth once daily | |
| Emergency antibiotics before ED arrival |
Why does splenectomy cause pneumonia?
The spleen is an important organ associated with various immune functions. There is a growing body of evidence that people without a spleen are particularly susceptible to various overwhelming infections including pneumonia, which carries a high mortality rate.
Why does leukocytosis occur after splenectomy?
Thrombocytopenia is a physiologic response to sepsis due to increased platelet adhesiveness and consumption. The combination of splenectomy and sepsis may lead to a milder increase of the platelet count. The same combination leads to an augmented leukocytotic response.
What vaccines are needed after splenectomy?
Pneumococcal, meningococcal, and Haemophilus influenzae (Hib) vaccinations are indicated for patients after splenectomy.
Which is the commonest post-splenectomy infection?
Pneumococcal infection is by far the most common with an associated mortality rate of up to 60% [20,24]. However, reports from Denmark have shown Escherichia coli (E. coli) to be the most prevalent in post-splenectomy bacteremia; but it may be a regional phenomenon [25].
What happens to WBC after splenectomy?
What medication is given after spleen removal?
Antibiotics are often prescribed to be taken daily for the first two years after you have had your spleen removed, some people may be advised to take them daily for life.
Why does splenectomy cause infection?
Splenectomy may be followed by severe systemic infection because such surgery removes the splenic macrophages that filter and phagocytose bacteria and other bloodborne pathogens. Overwhelming post-splenectomy infection (OPSI), as this complication is called, is uncommon but has high mortality.
Which is the commonest post splenectomy infection?
How do you prevent infection after splenectomy?
Most infections that occur after splenectomy can be avoided through the following measures:
- You should be immunised against the following. Pneumococcus.
- You will probably be advised to take low-dose antibiotics every day for life.
- Keep a course of full-strength broad-spectrum antibiotics handy.