Spleen: practice question

A General Surgery question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

Try it

General Surgery · Spleen

Sample item

A patient is scheduled for elective splenectomy for immune thrombocytopenia. Which perioperative measure is most appropriate?

ALive attenuated vaccines on the day of surgeryBLifelong prophylactic anticoagulationCNo vaccination is requiredDPneumococcal, meningococcal and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccination at least two weeks before surgery

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

D. Pneumococcal, meningococcal and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccination at least two weeks before surgery

After splenectomy, patients are at risk of overwhelming post-splenectomy infection from encapsulated organisms such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis and Haemophilus influenzae. Vaccines should be given ideally two weeks before elective surgery. Education about prompt treatment of fever, and sometimes antibiotic prophylaxis, completes protection.

Option by option

A. Live attenuated vaccines on the day of surgery
Live vaccines on the day of surgery do not provide the needed protection against encapsulated bacteria.
B. Lifelong prophylactic anticoagulation
Lifelong anticoagulation is not routine after splenectomy.
C. No vaccination is required
Omitting vaccination exposes the patient to fulminant sepsis.
D. Pneumococcal, meningococcal and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccination at least two weeks before surgery (correct)
Correct. Polysaccharide-encapsulated organisms are normally cleared by the spleen, so vaccination is given in advance.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

Questions about this General Surgery question

What is the answer to this General Surgery question?

The best answer is D, Pneumococcal, meningococcal and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccination at least two weeks before surgery. After splenectomy, patients are at risk of overwhelming post-splenectomy infection from encapsulated organisms such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis and Haemophilus influenzae.

Why is "Live attenuated vaccines on the day of surgery" not the answer?

Live vaccines on the day of surgery do not provide the needed protection against encapsulated bacteria.

Why is "Lifelong prophylactic anticoagulation" not the answer?

Lifelong anticoagulation is not routine after splenectomy.

Why is "No vaccination is required" not the answer?

Omitting vaccination exposes the patient to fulminant sepsis.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Spleen in General Surgery. Vaccines should be given ideally two weeks before elective surgery. Education about prompt treatment of fever, and sometimes antibiotic prophylaxis, completes protection.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Spleen?

Learn classic signs and eponyms alongside what they diagnose. Then use the flashcards and the other General Surgery questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.