title: Should all splenectomised patients be vaccinated to avoid OPSI? Revisiting an old concept: an Italian retrospective monocentric study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  [corrected] The aims of this study were to evaluate the incidence of overwhelming postsplenectomy infection (OPSI), the usefulness of vaccination in preventing OPSI, and whether affected patients had received the current best practice preventive measures.
  
  
  METHODS
  The patients, observed from June 1991 to May 2005, were reviewed retrospectively. Gender, age, causes of splenectomy, vaccinations and complications were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  225 patients (178 males, 47 females) underwent splenectomy, and of these, 79 patients (35.1%) were considered for the present study. Seven patients (8.8%) were informed about the risks of infection and received pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine after splenectomy. Sixty-eight patients (86.7%) receive influenza vaccine every year. One of the patients that did not receive immunoprophylaxis had OPSI (incidence 1.26%) 1 year after splenectomy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vaccination seems to prevent OPSI. Because of low incidence of OPSI, however, prospective randomised studies in patients without risk factors are needed to evaluate the usefulness of immunoprophylaxis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, Organ Transplantation and Advanced Technologies, University of Catania Cannizzaro Hospital, Catania, Italy. idicarlo@unict.it
authors.forename: Isidoro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Di Carlo
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Primo
authors.forename: Elia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pulvirenti
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Toro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013156:Splenectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001428:Bacterial Vaccines