What are the latest guidelines on antibiotics and vaccinations for post-splenectomy patients?

Question (Answered) submitted by HMHB at 18:14, Thu 15 Mar 2007

Conflict of Interests - none

Responses:

The British Committee for Standards in Haematology guidelines on the prevention and treatment of infection in patients with an absent or dysfunctional spleen reports:

“All splenectomised patients and those with functional hyposplenism should receive pneumococcal immunisation and patients not previously immunised should receive Haemophilus Influenza type b vaccine (B,C). Patients not previously immunised should receive Meningococcal Group C conjugate vaccine (C). Influenza immunisation should be given (C). Life long prophylactic antibiotics are still recommended (oral Phenoxymethylpenicillin or Erythromycin) (B,C).”
Source: http://www.bcshguidelines.com/pdf/SPLEEN21.pdf

Conflict of Interests - none