Management of the risk for severe infections in children with asplenia: Recommendations from the Italian Network of Asplenia [La gestione del rischio infettivo nei bambini asplenici: Raccomandazioni dal network italiano asplenia]

Asplenia is a condition due to spleen absence or dysfunction, which leads to high risk of infections and thrombotic events with significant chance of mortality and morbidity. Antibiotic prophylaxis, specific vaccine schedules, and aggressive treatment of fever and infectious events in asplenic or hyposplenic patients is recommended, but adherence to these general recommendations was shown to be poor. In Europe very little experience exists in comprehensive national program for the management of asplenia. Particularly, in Italy, no common policy of patient care has yet been developed, and management of asplenia is mainly case or center-driven. The Italian Association of Pediatric Hematology Oncology and the Italian Society of Thalassemia and Hemoglobinopathies built a nationwide network and developed an algorithm with interactive windows in order to offer a faster and feasible document for emergency providers and paediatricians in order to improve the management of acute and often life-threatening infections in asplenic patients