Patient education: Splenectomy – Discharge instructions (The Basics)

What are discharge instructions? — 

Discharge instructions are information about how to take care of yourself after getting medical care for a health problem.

What is splenectomy? — 

This is surgery to remove the spleen. It can be done in 2 ways:

●Open surgery – The doctor makes a cut, or "incision," in the skin. This lets them see directly inside the body to do the surgery.

●Minimally invasive surgery – The doctor makes smaller incisions in the skin. They insert long, thin tools through the incisions. One of the tools has a camera (called a "laparoscope") on the end, which sends pictures to a TV screen. The doctor can look at the screen to see inside the body. Then, they use the long tools to do the surgery. They can control the tools directly, or with the help of a robot (called "robot-assisted" surgery).

You might be able to return to normal activities sooner if you had minimally invasive surgery than if you had an open surgery.

How do I care for myself at home? — 

Ask the doctor or nurse what you should do when you go home. Make sure you understand exactly what you need to do to care for yourself. Ask questions if there is anything you do not understand.

For the first 24 hours after surgery:

●Do not drive or operate heavy or dangerous machinery.

●Do not make any important decisions or sign any important papers.

●Do not drink alcohol of any kind.

You should also:

●Take all your medicines as instructed:

•Use a stool softener to help prevent constipation, if needed. This is a common problem if you take opioid pain medicines. Follow all instructions for taking your pain medicines.

•Take non-prescription medicines to relieve pain, such as acetaminophen (sample brand name: Tylenol), ibuprofen (sample brand names: Advil, Motrin), or naproxen (sample brand name: Aleve). You can take these instead of opioids.

•Your doctor will probably prescribe antibiotics to keep at home. This is so you can start treatment right away if you get an infection. Make sure you know how and when to take the antibiotics.

●Take care of your incision – You might have stitches, skin staples, surgical glue, or a special skin tape on your incision. If you had minimally invasive surgery, you might have more than 1 incision.

•Keep your incision dry and covered with a bandage for the first 1 to 2 days. Your doctor or nurse will tell you exactly how long to keep it dry.

•Once you no longer need to keep your incision dry, gently wash it with soap and water whenever you take a shower. Do not put it underwater, such as in a bath, pool, or lake. This can slow healing and raise your chance of getting an infection.

•After you wash your incision, pat it dry. Your doctor or nurse will tell you if you need to put an antibiotic ointment on it. They will also tell you if you need to cover it with a bandage or gauze.

•Always wash your hands before and after you touch your incision or bandage.

●Increase your activity slowly – Start with short walks around your home, and walk a little more each day.

•Keep coughing and doing deep breathing exercises for 7 to 10 days after you go home. This helps prevent lung infections. When you cough, sneeze, or do deep breathing exercises, press a pillow across your incision to support the wound and ease pain.

•Avoid heavy lifting, sports, and swimming for at least a week or 2. (Your doctor or nurse will tell you exactly how long to avoid these or other activities.)

●Eat when you are hungry – If you have an upset stomach, it might help to start with clear liquids and foods that are easy to digest, like soup, pudding, toast, or eggs. You can eat other types of foods when you feel ready. If your doctor or nurse gave you specific instructions about what to eat or avoid, follow them.

●Know if you had minimally invasive surgery, you might have some pain in your shoulder. This is from gas the doctor put into your belly during surgery. Walking and moving around helps reduce the gas and ease pain.

●Follow your doctor's instructions about getting vaccines. If you did not have time to get vaccines before surgery, you can get them afterward.

What follow-up care do I need? — 

The doctor will want to see you again after surgery to check on your progress. Go to these appointments.

If you have stitches or staples, you will need to have them taken out. Your doctor will usually want to do this in 1 to 2 weeks. Some stitches absorb on their own and do not need to be removed. If the doctor used skin glue or skin tape, it will fall off on its own. Do not pick at it or try to remove it yourself.

When should I call the doctor? — 

Call for emergency help right away (in the US and Canada, call 9-1-1) if you:

●Feel short of breath or have trouble breathing

●Have sharp or severe chest pain when breathing

●Have severe belly pain

●Feel very lightheaded or like you are going to pass out

Call your doctor or nurse for advice if you have:

●A fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, or chills

●Swelling, pain, or warmth and redness in your leg

●Redness or swelling around your incisions

●Nausea or vomiting for more than 2 days after going home

What else should I know? — 

Living without a spleen increases your risk of certain problems. For example, your body will have a harder time fighting off certain infections, and even minor infections can lead to serious illness. Your risk of blood clots is also higher.

Your doctor or nurse will talk to you about how to lower these risks, and what problems to watch for.

More on this topic

Patient education: Splenectomy (The Basics)
Patient education: Preventing infection after splenectomy (The Basics)
Patient education: What you should know about vaccines (The Basics)
Patient education: Vaccines for adults (The Basics)
Patient education: Vaccines for children age 7 to 18 years (The Basics)
Patient education: Sepsis in adults (The Basics)
Patient education: Lowering the risk of a blood clot (The Basics)

Patient education: Preventing infection in people with impaired spleen function (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Vaccines for adults (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Why does my child need vaccines? (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Vaccines for children age 7 to 18 years (Beyond the Basics)