[Prevention of sepsis in asplenic patients]. / Prevención de la sepsis en pacientes esplenectomizados.

Although the high mortality rate from infectious causes in asplenic patients has been well known since the beginning of the twentieth century, rates of antibiotic prophylaxis in these patients continue to be worryingly low. Consequently, we reviewed the causes of these high mortality rates with a view to recommending preventive measures. The attitude to prophylaxis in these patients depends on age and the cause of splenectomy both in vaccination and antibiotic prophylaxis. The immune status of these patients is decisive in antibiotic prophylaxis, as this treatment will differ in patients splenectomized after a traffic accident and in those splenectomized for lymphoma.

Prevención de la sepsis en pacientes esplenectomizados / Prevention of sepsis in asplenic patients

A pesar de que desde principios del siglo xx se conoce la alta mortalidad por infección entre los pacientes esplenectomizados, aún hoy las tasas de profilaxis antibacteriana en estos pacientes siguen siendo preocupantemente bajas. Por ello se planteó una búsqueda sobre la situación actual de la cuestión para elaborar unas recomendaciones aplicables a los pacientes esplenectomizados. Se expone la actitud profiláctica ante este tipo de pacientes dependiendo de su edad y el motivo de la esplenectomía, tanto de vacunación como de antibioterapia. El estado inmunitario del paciente es muy importante en la necesidad de profilaxis antibiótica, pues no seguirán la misma pauta un paciente sometido a esplenectomía tras un accidente de tráfico y un paciente hematológico (AU)

Although the high mortality rate from infectious causes in asplenic patients has been well known since the beginning of the twentieth century, rates of antibiotic prophylaxis in these patients continue to be worryingly low. Consequently, we reviewed the causes of these high mortality rates with a view to recommending preventive measures. The attitude to prophylaxis in these patients depends on age and the cause of splenectomy both in vaccination and antibiotic prophylaxis. The immune status of these patients is decisive in antibiotic prophylaxis, as this treatment will differ in patients splenectomized after a traffic accident and in those splenectomized for lymphoma (AU)