In-Hospital Mortality and Trends Associated with Splenectomy in Patients with Immune-Mediated Thrombocytopenia (ITP).

Splenectomy remains a standard treatment for ITP patients not responding to medical management, but anecdotal reports suggest that use of the procedure is in decline. We studied patterns of use and outcome of splenectomy performed for ITP at the population level.

Using data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample and ICD-9 diagnosis and procedure codes, we identified 39,543 splenectomies among hospital admissions including a diagnosis of ITP (ICD-9 287.3) from 1993-2005. Admissions were characterized by patient and hospital facility characteristics. Laparascopic procedures were identified by published procedure coding algorithms. Factors influencing in-hospital mortality for 2005 were further evaluated using multivariate logistic regression models.

Annual estimates for incidence of splenectomy are displayed in Figure 1. Between 1993 and 2005, there was a decrease in the total number of splenectomies performed for ITP, with the most significant drop occurring from 1997 to 2000, concurrent with the FDA approval of rituximab. Over the same period, there has been an increase in the proportion of splenectomies performed laparoscopically from 3.4% to 18.6%. Patient gender, age, presence of comorbid malignancy, and Charlson score were not significantly associated with type of splenectomy procedure. Among facility factors, only hospital teaching status was a statistically significant predictor of laparoscopic splenectomy use, early but not later in the observation period. On an annual basis, in-hospital mortality did not vary significantly over the observation period, with risks ranging from 1.5% (95% CI 0.83-2.86%) in 1993 to 4% (95% CI 2.8%-5.7%) in 1997. Annual mortality risk between open and laparoscopic procedures likewise did not significantly differ. However, over the total 13-year observation period there was a >60% increased risk of death with an open versus laparoscopic procedure (OR 1.669, p<0.0001). In 2005, 2869 splenectomy procedures were performed. Multivariate logistic regression models for in-hospital mortality that year found that presence of a malignancy (OR 9.65, p=0.003) significantly increased mortality risk. Charlson comorbidity approached statistical significance (0 v. ≥1, OR 6.83, p=0.087). Hospital bed-size (OR 0.87, p=0.73), location (rural v. urban, OR 3.80, p=0.127), and teaching status (OR 0.39, p=0.203) were not significantly associated with outcome.

While the overall mortality risk from splenectomy in ITP is low, it is influenced by the presence of malignancy and other comorbid conditions. Further studies designed to evaluate newer medical management strategies (e.g. rituximab, thrombopoeitin mimetics, etc.) versus surgical intervention in these higher-risk populations are warranted.

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No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.