Vaccination and splenectomy in Olmsted County

Abstract Objectives To determine the long-term impact of vaccination on any postoperative infection in adults who underwent splenectomy. Methods All adults (≥18 years) who underwent splenectomy from 1965 to 2011 in Olmsted County, MN were identified using the Rochester Epidemiology Project. Descriptive statistics, Kaplan-Meier estimates, and Cox proportional hazard ratios were performed. Results There were 724 patients who underwent splenectomy; 47% were female with a median age of 55 (35–69) years. Overall vaccination rate (pneumococcal, H influenza, meningococcal) was 62% (n = 449). There were 268 (36%) patients who developed a post-splenectomy infection; most presented with sepsis 148 (55%). The 3 most common infections included pneumonia (124, 17%), bloodstream (67, 9%), and urinary tract infection (49, 7%). Median time to infection was quicker in non-vaccinated compared with vaccinated patients (1.5 [0.1–4.3] vs 3.3 [1.9–9.8] years, P = .01). Conclusion In this population-based study, the highest risk of infection after splenectomy was in patients who did not receive complete vaccination. Lack of complete vaccination was associated with a reduced time to infection and increased rates of bloodstream infections at 5 years. Infectious complication risk reduced as vaccination protocols improved for all indications except for malignancy. Adults who underwent a splenectomy should continue to receive booster vaccines.