title: Safety of splenectomy during pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of our study is to evaluate the risk of morbidity and mortality of splenectomy in pregnant women compared with non-pregnant women.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a retrospective population-based matched cohort study using the Health Care Cost and Utilization Project, Nationwide Inpatient Sample database from 2003 to 2011. Pregnant women with splenectomy were age-matched to non-pregnant women with splenectomy. We compared risks of morbidity and mortality between pregnant and non-pregnant women using conditional logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The non-pregnant group had an excess of white patients and a greater proportion of Medicaid and private insurance users. There was a tendency for greater frequency of laparotomies in pregnant patients. Risk of VTE, portal vein thrombosis, renal failure and sepsis were comparable between the groups. Risk for transfusion was higher amongst pregnant women (OR 2.2, 95% CI (1.7-2.8)), as was the risk for a longer hospital stay (OR 1.7, 95% CI (1.4-2.1)).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Caution should be taken when performing splenectomy during pregnancy as risk for complications and mortality may be increased. Additional measures should be undertaken to have blood units on reserve for this population.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Jewish General Hospital, McGill University , Montreal , QC , Canada and.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bleau
authors.affiliation: b Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Community Studies, Jewish General Hospital , Montreal , QC , Canada.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Czuzoj-Shulman
authors.affiliation: b Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Community Studies, Jewish General Hospital , Montreal , QC , Canada.
authors.forename: Andrea R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Spence
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Jewish General Hospital, McGill University , Montreal , QC , Canada and.|b Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Community Studies, Jewish General Hospital , Montreal , QC , Canada.
authors.forename: Haim Arie
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Abenhaim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013156:Splenectomy; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Splenectomy; immune thrombocytopenia; morbidity; pregnancy