Counting vacuole-containing RBC (pocked-RBC) is a robust marker of defective spleen function but requires the expertise of fewer and fewer specialized laboratory technicians. Now the inventors have identified VDAC and LAMP1 as markers for detecting pocked red blood 10 cells. In particular, after performing a proteomic analysis, the inventors confirmed the presence of these proteins in splenectomized subjects by western blot. RBC of splectomized and control subjects were then marked with antibodies LAMP1 or VDAC and passed to cytometry. RBC from control subjects did not have labelling but there were RBC marked for splenectomized subjects. RBC labelling were then observed in DIC and pocked cells with vacuoles marked 15 were quantified. No marked vacuole was observed in control subjects whereas between 4 and 33% of pocked cells had at least one vacuole marked with antibodies LAMP1 or VDAC. Since, these proteins are not found in control subjects, it is therefore possible to use this markers for detecting pocked RBCs and thus splenectomized subjects