Can splenectomy cause elevated WBC?
Background: The White Blood Cell (WBC) and Platelet (PLT) counts typically increase after a splenectomy. These changes make interpretation of postoperative lab values difficult and may unduly raise concerns for complications.
How does a splenectomy affect WBC?
Splenectomy is associated with an early drop in leukocyte numbers postoperatively and a subsequent persistent leukocytosis. Admission WBC counts are similar in both the non-operative and operative splenic injury treatment groups. Directly after surgery, WBC counts were lower in the operative group vs.
How does a splenectomy affect blood count?
An increase in blood leukocytes can occur following a splenectomy. The post-splenectomy platelet count may rise to abnormally high levels (thrombocytosis), leading to an increased risk of potentially fatal clot formation.
Does splenectomy cause lymphocytosis?
Splenectomy caused lymphocytosis, due to a significant increase in B and CD8+ lymphocytes, as did splenic autotransplantation, which indicates that the number of lymphocyte subsets in the blood should not be used to argue in favour of or against splenic autotransplantation.
What are the effects of having your spleen removed?
You can be active without a spleen, but you're at increased risk of becoming sick or getting serious infections. This risk is highest shortly after surgery. People without a spleen may also have a harder time recovering from an illness or injury.
Why is WBC high after surgery?
Leukocytosis is frequently found in the early postoperative period after major surgery. Although leukocytosis may be a sign of developing infection in the early postoperative period, it may also be part of a normal surgical response.
What happens to RBC after splenectomy?
It is known that splenectomy improves the RBC count, hemoglobin (Hb) levels, and hematocrit, and that it reduces mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and the percentage of reticulocytes (Reliene et al., 2002; Li et al., 2016; Zaninoni et al., 2018; Huisjes et al., 2020).
Why does splenectomy cause thrombocytosis?
The early, highly significant thrombocytosis, following both splenectomy and general surgery, is caused by increased production of platelets due to the surgical trauma. This is caused by a direct action on bone marrow MK by transforming 2N-8N MK into higher ploidy classes.
Why do you get thrombocytosis after splenectomy?
Secondary causes of an elevated platelet count (e.g., myeloproliferative disorders, splenectomy, and occult malignancy) must be ruled out in such patients. Reactive thrombocytosis is a common cause of thrombocytosis (2, 4)....Table 2.CausesPercentage reportedInfection31%Postsplenectomy19%Malignancy14%Trauma14%4 more rows
What is the cause of lymphocytosis?
Lymphocytosis often results from viral infections. Bacteria and parasites can also cause infection, resulting in a high lymphocyte count. Infectious causes of lymphocytosis include: Epstein-Barr virus (the virus that causes mononucleosis).
What happens Increase lymphocytes?
If your doctor determines that your lymphocyte count is high, the test result might be evidence of one of the following conditions: Infection (bacterial, viral, other) Cancer of the blood or lymphatic system. An autoimmune disorder causing ongoing (chronic) inflammation.
What does Asplenic mean?
Isolated congenital asplenia is a condition in which affected individuals are missing their spleen (asplenia) but have no other developmental abnormalities. While most individuals with this condition have no spleen at all, some people have a very small, nonfunctional spleen (hyposplenism).
What happens to RBC after splenectomy?
It is known that splenectomy improves the RBC count, hemoglobin (Hb) levels, and hematocrit, and that it reduces mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and the percentage of reticulocytes (Reliene et al., 2002; Li et al., 2016; Zaninoni et al., 2018; Huisjes et al., 2020).
Which WBC in spleen?
The spleen plays an important role in your immune system response. When it detects bacteria, viruses, or other germs in your blood, it produces white blood cells, called lymphocytes, to fight off the infections that these cause.
Why does a splenectomy lead to an increased risk of septicemia?
The spleen is a reticuloendothelial organ that facilitates opsonization and phagocytosis of pathogens, in addition to cellular maintenance. Splenectomy is associated with an impairment in immunoglobulin production, antibody-mediated clearance, and phagocytosis, leading to an increased risk of infection and sepsis.
How does splenectomy cause thrombocytosis?
The early, highly significant thrombocytosis, following both splenectomy and general surgery, is caused by increased production of platelets due to the surgical trauma. This is caused by a direct action on bone marrow MK by transforming 2N-8N MK into higher ploidy classes.
Overview
A splenectomy is the surgical procedure that partially or completely removes the spleen. The spleen is an important organ in regard to immunological function due to its ability to efficiently destroy encapsulated bacteria. Therefore removal of the spleen runs the risk of overwhelming post-splenectomy infection, a medical emergency and rapidly fatal disease caused by the inability of the bod…
Indications
The spleen is an organ located in the abdomen next to the stomach. It is composed of red pulp which filters the blood, removing foreign material, damaged and worn out red blood cells. It also functions as a storage site for iron, red blood cells and platelets. The rest (~25%) of the spleen is known as the white pulp and functions like a large lymph node being the largest secondary lymphoid organ in the body. Apart from regular lymphatic function the white pulp contains splenic macroph…
Procedure
Laparoscopy is the preferred procedure in cases where the spleen is not too large and when the procedure is elective. Open surgery is performed in trauma cases or if the spleen is enlarged. Either method is major surgery and is performed under general anesthesia. Vaccination for S. pneumoniae, H. influenza and N. meningitidis should be given pre-operatively if possible to minimize the chance of overwhelming post-splenectomy infection (OPSI), a rapid-developing and …
Side effects
Splenectomy causes an increased risk of sepsis, particularly overwhelming post-splenectomy sepsis due to encapsulated organisms such as S. pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae which are no longer able to be destroyed. It has been found that the risk of acquiring sepsis is 10 to 20 times higher in a splenectomized patient compared to a non-splenectomized patient, which can result in death, especially in young children. Therefore, patients are administered the pneumococ…
Subtotal splenectomy
Much of the spleen's protective roles can be maintained if a small amount of spleen can be left behind. Where clinically appropriate, attempts are now often made to perform either surgical subtotal (partial) splenectomy, or partial splenic embolization. In particular, whilst vaccination and antibiotics provide good protection against the risks of asplenia, this is not always available in poorer countries. However, as it may take some time for the preserved splenic tissue to provide …
See also
• Asplenia
• Autosplenectomy
• Overwhelming post-splenectomy infection
• Lymphatic system
• Infectious mononucleosis
Overview
- Splenectomy is a surgical procedure to remove your spleen. The spleen is an organ that sits under your rib cage on the upper left side of your abdomen. It helps fight infection and filters unneeded material, such as old or damaged blood cells, from your blood. The most common reason for splenectomy is to treat a ruptured spleen, which is often caused by an abdominal injury. Splenec…
Why It's Done
- Splenectomy is used to treat a wide variety of diseases and conditions. Your doctor may recommend splenectomy if you have one of the following: 1. Ruptured spleen.If your spleen ruptures due to a severe abdominal injury or because of an enlarged spleen (splenomegaly), the result may be life-threatening, internal bleeding. 2. Enlarged spleen.Splenectomy may be done t…
Risks
- Splenectomy is generally a safe procedure. But as with any surgery, splenectomy carries the potential risk of complications, including: 1. Bleeding 2. Blood clots 3. Infection 4. Injury to nearby organs, including your stomach, pancreas and colon
How You Prepare
- Food and medications
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. - Other precautions
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 you…
What You Can Expect
- Before the procedure
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 bl… - During the procedure
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 splenecto…
Results
- If you had splenectomy due to a ruptured spleen, further treatment usually isn't necessary. If it was done to treat another disorder, additional treatment may be required.