[Follow-up of patients after splenectomy at a local hospital]

We have studied the records of 79 patients splenectomised between 1965-1995 and questioned the 39 patients still alive regarding pneumococcal immunisation and measures against infections. Fifty percent of patients operated before 1978 had still not been immunised. Twenty-four percent of the patients operated after 1978 were neither immunised at the hospital nor recommended this, and 10% had still not been immunised in 1995. Eight percent of the patients did not know that they had lost their spleen. Eighty-three percent of the patients had not been informed about measures against infection. Only 17% had penicillin available at home. We recommend that besides pneumococcal immunisation, special splenectomy cards and antibiotic prescription, splenectomised patients should be given written guidelines about dealing with infections and recommendations that pneumococcal antibody levels be controlled five years after the primary immunisation. Extraordinarily, hospitals should also inform previously splenectomised patients.