How Splenectomy Affects the Body Systems

Splenectomy
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Splenectomy
Splenectomy refers to the surgical procedure of removing a person’s spleen. In particular, various reasons might contribute to the removal of an individual’s spleen. They include traumatic injury to the organ, cancer, tumor, infection, blood disorder, enlarged, and ruptured spleen (Miller, 2022). However, the spleen is a crucial organ that carries out various functions in the body. For instance, it produces antibodies to prevent infections, stores blood cells, and removes damaged and old blood cells. The paper focuses on how splenectomy affects the body systems and how the body gets along without a spleen.
Although a spleen plays a crucial role in the body, traumatic injuries can lead to its removal. For example, this intraperitoneal organ performs important immunological and hematological functions (Tahir, Ahmed, & Malik, 2020). When the spleen is removed, an individual is likely to become more vulnerable to infections, such as Neisseria meningitides, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae. If an individual’s spleen is not working properly, it can lead to several dangerous outcomes, including removing healthy blood cells, decreased white blood cells, reduced platelets, and anemia. The best method of removing an injured spleen is laparoscopy. A laparoscope refers to a long and thin instrument that has a camera attached. A surgeon uses this special equipment to access the patient’s abdomen without making large incisions on one’s skin (Shelby et al., 2021). As such, the patient can go home immediately after the surgery but requires 24 hours of close monitoring and about two weeks to heal.
Several body systems are affected by splenectomy. Notably, a person who does not have a spleen is likely to have a weakened immune system. Besides, the spleen plays an essential role in fighting against infections. That is why an individual whose spleen is removed should be vaccinated or take prophylactic antibiotics regularly to prevent various infections, such as Haemophilus influenza and Streptococcus pneumoniae among others (Merchant & Stead, 2020). Another body system influenced by the removal of the spleen is c...