A Successful Case of the Prevention of Overwhelming Postsplenectomy Infection in a Girl with Hereditary Spherocytosis using Immediate Antibiotic Treatment

Abstract

The spleen is an important part of the human immune system. After splenectomy, a patient can easily become infected and the symptoms can often be severe, which is known as overwhelming postsplenectomy infection (OPSI). We report a case of a girl who had two episodes of high fever twice following splenectomy. She was diagnosed with hereditary spherocytosis at forty days of age and underwent splenectomy when she was six years old. At both times, we assumed that she was infected with OPSI and immediately treated her with antibiotics. With the appropriate treatment, the symptoms did not worsen and she left hospital within a week. To prevent OPSI, it is necessary for the patient to understand the importance of prevention of infection, and prompt and appropriate treatment should be administered if the patient is suspected of having a bacterial infection.