Abstract

Despite appropriate antimicrobial therapy and intensive medical support, the mortality rate of postsplenectomy sepsis (PSS) ranges between 50% to70%. Although the risk of sepsis after splenectomy is highest in the first few years, this can be a lifelong risk. Early diagnosis, prompt treatment, vaccination, informing the patients beforehand about their condition and increasing awareness of this issue among clinicians are necessary in order to decrease the rate of high mortality due to PSS. In this report, we aimed to review the approach to  splenectomized patients in view of a fatal case of sepsis occurring 19 years after splenectomy.