Your doctor may recommend that you receive vaccines against pneumonia, influenza, Haemophilus influenzae type b Hib and meningococci. He or she may also recommend that you take preventive antibiotics, especially if you have other conditions that increase your risk of serious infections.
Before your procedure, you may need to temporarily stop taking certain medications and supplements. You may also need to avoid eating or drinking for a certain amount of time.
Your doctor will give you specific instructions to help you prepare. If you have time before the surgery, you may need to receive blood transfusions to ensure that you have enough blood cells after your spleen is removed.
Your doctor may also recommend that you receive a pneumococcal vaccine and possibly other vaccines to help prevent infection after your spleen is removed. Right before your surgery, you will be given a general anesthetic. The anesthesiologist or anesthetist gives you an anesthetic medication such as a gas — to breathe through a mask — or as a liquid injected into a vein.
The surgical team monitors your heart rate, blood pressure and blood oxygen throughout the procedure. You will have heart monitor leads attached to your chest and a blood pressure cuff on your arm. After you're unconscious, your surgeon begins the surgery using either a minimally invasive laparoscopic or open traditional procedure.
The method used often depends on the size of the spleen. The larger the spleen, the more likely your surgeon will choose to do an open splenectomy. Laparoscopic splenectomy. During laparoscopic splenectomy, the surgeon makes four small incisions in your abdomen. He or she then inserts a tube with a tiny video camera into your abdomen through one of the incisions. You may also live somewhere that has different infectious agents than other places do.
There are particular infections that you may be at more risk for following loss of your spleen. If traveling in West Africa, be sure to be vaccinated against meningococcal meningitis and that the vaccines are up to date. Vaccine protection doesn't always last as long as we'd like. Likewise, the pneumococcal vaccine does not cover all strains and you may be exposed to a different strain when you're away. You also may be at more risk for a serious case of malaria if you don't have a spleen.
Be sure to have malaria prophylaxis if traveling where you might be at risk and be extra careful to avoid mosquitoes. Likewise, if you live or travel to areas where the Babesia parasite is found, you would be at greater risk without a spleen. The Babesia parasite can occur in other parts of these states and in other areas of the Northeast and the upper Midwest, including New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
There are also rare and serious cases from Europe. Babesia can also be transmitted by a blood transfusion. Also, some without a spleen may be more prone to having a deep vein thrombosis or another clot, including when they travel on a long plane flight or ride. If you're going to fly, talk to your healthcare provider about this disorder and any risks you may face.
Scientists looked back at the soldiers who lost their spleens in World War II. However, they did have increased mortality due to pneumonia possibly Strep pneumo infections and ischemic heart disease heart attacks, possibly because removing their spleens affected their blood system and caused them to clot more, which is a known non-infectious side effect.
Having a big spleen is called splenomegaly. It's something a healthcare provider should check out. There are many reasons why a spleen might become enlarged. There are those who have large spleens due to blood conditions they were born with, like thalassemia or sarcoid. Others have a large spleen because of lymphoma or leukemia blood cancer or a hemolytic anemia where red blood cells are destroyed.
Others develop it from having liver disease like portal hypertension. Some people have more than one spleen. Some are born with polysplenia or multiple spleens which may be related to other congenital conditions or medical problems at birth. Others end up with a little bit of their spleen separated from the rest; this is often an "accessory spleen" that results from trauma including from surgery, even from a splenectomy.
Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Merck Manual Consumer Version. Overview of the spleen. Revised July Merck Manual Professional Version. Overview of abdominal trauma. Revised January Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Reviewed October 21, Immune thrombocytopenia.
Updated Risk of cardiovascular events and pulmonary hypertension following splenectomy - a Danish population-based cohort study from Long-term risks after splenectomy among 8, cancer-free American veterans: a cohort study with up to 27 years follow-up. Asplenia and adult vaccination. Reviewed May 2, Pneumococcal vaccination.
Updated November 21, Risk of Capnocytophaga infection. Updated October 16, High risk of Plasmodium vivax malaria following splenectomy in Papua, Indonesia. Do not take a bath for the first 2 weeks, or until your doctor tells you it is okay. Eat several small meals each day. Slowly increase the amount you eat. It's common to feel full quickly after having this surgery. If your stomach is upset, try bland, low-fat foods like plain rice, broiled chicken, toast, and yogurt.
Your doctor may tell you to take iron supplements. Drink plenty of fluids to avoid becoming dehydrated. You may notice that your bowel movements are not regular right after your surgery. Avoid constipation and straining with bowel movements. You may want to take a fibre supplement every day. If you have not had a bowel movement after a couple of days, ask your doctor about taking a mild laxative.
Your doctor will tell you if and when you can restart your medicines. He or she will also give you instructions about taking any new medicines. If you take aspirin or some other blood thinner, ask your doctor if and when to start taking it again.
Make sure that you understand exactly what your doctor wants you to do. Take pain medicines exactly as directed. If the doctor gave you a prescription medicine for pain, take it as prescribed. If you are not taking a prescription pain medicine, ask your doctor if you can take an over-the-counter medicine.
You will need to take antibiotics for a while after surgery. Do not stop taking them just because you feel better. You need to take the full course of antibiotics. You may need blood transfusions if the number of blood cells is too low. If you have strips of tape on the incision, leave the tape on for a week or until it falls off. Or follow your doctor's instructions for removing the tape. Wash the area daily with warm, soapy water and pat it dry. Spleen Removal Patient Card. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server.
Please enable scripts and reload this page. Skip to content Contact us Emergency information. Last updated: 24 January What is the spleen? Why do people have their spleen removed splenectomy? People may have their spleen removed because of: trauma accidents cancer blood diseases. Conditions that affect the immune system eg rheumatoid arthritis some diseases of the blood eg sickle cell disease ; and some diseases where the normal tissue of the spleen is replaced by abnormal tissue eg amyloidosis.
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