Post splenectomy infections in peritoneal surface malignancies.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Overwhelming Post-Splenectomy Infections (OPSI) after complete Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy: a prospective observational study.
IRAS ID
292764
Contact name
Brendan Moran
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
10 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Major surgery and giving heated chemotherapy during surgery is the gold standard treatment for rare cancers that develop in or spread to the thin layer of tissue that lines the abdomen, called the peritoneum. It produces a fluid that helps organs move smoothly inside the abdomen. The surgery is called cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and can include removing the spleen. The spleen is important to fight invading germs in the blood (it contains infection-fighting white blood cells, for example). It filters the blood and removes bacteria and parasites to fight infections. Without a spleen, patients can develop very serious infections. These infections are called overwhelming post-splenectomy infections or OPSI. Patients who have there spleens removed are given vaccinations but these do not provide complete protection, therefore patients are also prescribed antibiotics. There is no clear evidence that antibiotics are necessary in these patients and they could be harmful as they can interact with other medication, cause resistance, clostridium difficile infections, fungal infections, other changes to the healthy gut bacteria (the microbiome) and have cost implications. This study will report how often infections occur when the spleen has been removed during CRS and also describe whether patients take the prescribed antibiotics as they are currently recommended to do after their surgery.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/SC/0028
Date of REC Opinion
3 Mar 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion