It is well known that splenectomy increases the risk of infections, mainly those caused by capsulated bacteria. These complications are associated with greater mortality and lower survival rates in asplenic individuals. The objective of the present work was to assess the survival of rats submitted to total splenectomy. Thirty-four rats were divided into 2 groups: Group 1 (n = 14): control animals, submitted only to laparotomy; Group 2 (n = 20): animals submitted to splenectomy. Both groups were subdivided into 2 subgroups, namely, subgroup A, male rats, and subgroup B, female rats. The animals were followed during a 90-day period to assess their survival. The mortality of animals in Group 2 was 80% for males and 30% for females. No death occurred in animals of Group 1. Splenectomized males had significantly lower survival than splenectomized females (p=0.034). According to the results of the present work, total splenectomy diminishes the survival in rats and the female rodents present greater resistance to the asplenic state, and, therefore fewer deaths occur compared to male rats.
Splenectomy; spleen; sepsis; survival analysis; mortality; gender
