During the 9-year study period, 2,625 patients met the criteria for inclusion in the analysis. Of these, 1,450 (55%) had a splenectomy, and 1,175 (45%) did not. Mortality was 13% for the splenectomized compared with 9% for the nonsplenectomized population (p = 0.001). After logistic regression, mortality remained significantly higher in the splenectomized population (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16-2.26; p = 0.005)