A splenectomy is the surgical procedure used to partially or totally remove the spleen. A laproscopic splenectomy uses a thin instrument with a camera and a "spotlight" called a laproscope. Often, this is done on the fly in trauma cases. But people also get splenectomies for a variety of reasons: tumor or cyst growths, white blood cell count problems, and some blood diseases.

One common source of malpractice during a splenectomy is a lateral femoral cutaneous nerve injury. These injuries can occur when the patient has improper padding or positioning. The solution to this problem is an inflatable bean bag or something similar to ensure proper positioning. The importance of positioning is magnified in older and/or obese patients. The surgeon and the operating room staff have an obligation to ensure proper padding and positioning of the patient.

Certainly, there is no malpractice every time there is a splenectomy. But as this surgery has become more common place, more surgeons are performing splenectomies who don't have the training to do so.