J Surg Cl Res – Vol. 5 (1) 2014:56-64 56 Sepsis after splenectomy: prophylaxis and treatment Sepse após esplenectomia: profilaxia e tratamento Sérvulo Marciano Pinheiro de Souza, Juliana Beatriz de Oliveira Ferreira, Amália Cínthia Meneses Rêgo, Jéssica Carvalho Felipe, Aldo Cunha Medeiros, Irami Araújo- Filho Performed at Coordination of Research and Postgraduate Potiguar University, Natal, RN, Brazil; and Department of Surgery, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Brazil. Financial support: none. Conflict of interest: none Correspondence address: Irami Araújo Filho, Department of Surgery, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, at Av. Nilo Peçanha 620, Natal, RN, Brazil, Email: irami.filho@uol.com.br Submitted: 25 Jul 2014. Accepted, after review: 15 Aug 2014. ABSTRACT Infection is very important for the patient underwent splenectomy follow up, not only for the prevalence, but the lethality of disease. The following review is to summarize practical informations about the extent of knowledge of etiology, diagnosis, treatment and prophylaxis. The treatment starts early and appropriate prophylaxis are decisive for the prognosis of asplenia, being the focus of this study. To carry out this work a review of relevant literature of the last decade was taken. As a result, we emphasized extensively about the treatment and prophylaxis of the disease, but the large number of fatal outcomes, found until today, indicates that studies on early diagnosis and early treatment as well as prophylaxis, need to be improved. Key words: Splenectomy, sepsis, immunization, treatment. RESUMO A infecção tem grande importância no acompanhamento do paciente submetido a esplenectomia, não só pela prevalência, mas pela letalidade da doença. A presente revisão busca sintetizar informações de forma prática, no âmbito do conhecimento da etiologia, diagnóstico, tratamento e profilaxia. O tratamento iniciado precocemente e a profilaxia correta são decisivas para o prognóstico dos asplênicos, sendo o foco desse estudo. Para realização desse trabalho foi feita revisão de literatura relevante da última década. A pesquisa bibliográfica evidenciou que há esquemas de condutas