Fatal, overwhelming sepsis after splenectomy in the community hospital
Lowry, J.B.; Voitk, A.J.
Canadian Journal of Surgery. Journal Canadien de Chirurgie 28(4): 357-359
1985
ISSN/ISBN: 0008-428X PMID: 4016612 Document Number: 260030
Charts of all patients who underwent splenectomy between 1965 and 1981 at the Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital were reviewed. At the end of 1983, the patient, relatives or family physician were contacted for follow-up. Eighty spleens were removed, 36 for medical reasons, 30 for trauma and 14 because of iatrogenic injury. Of the patients followed up, 51 were alive and 13 had died. Three died in the postoperative period and seven died of unrelated causes. Three patients died of overwhelming sepsis, 1, 3 and 7 years after splenectomy. If the three postoperative deaths are excluded and it is assumed none of the 16 untraced patients died of overwhelming sepsis, the incidence of death from this cause was 3.9%.