diff --git a/include/pubsub.hrl b/include/pubsub.hrl
index a05807247..17a7f3abf 100644
--- a/include/pubsub.hrl
+++ b/include/pubsub.hrl
@@ -176,3 +176,9 @@
     creation ,% :: {erlang:timestamp(), jlib:ljid()},
     payload  % :: mod_pubsub:payload()
 }).
+
+-record(pubsub_orphan,
+{
+    nodeid    ,% :: mod_pubsub:nodeIdx(),
+    items = [] % :: list()
+}).
diff --git a/src/node_flat.erl b/src/node_flat.erl
index f44f251e0..7c7d344a6 100644
--- a/src/node_flat.erl
+++ b/src/node_flat.erl
@@ -58,6 +58,9 @@ init(_Host, _ServerHost, _Opts) ->
     ejabberd_mnesia:create(?MODULE, pubsub_item,
 	[{disc_only_copies, [node()]},
 	    {attributes, record_info(fields, pubsub_item)}]),
+    ejabberd_mnesia:create(?MODULE, pubsub_orphan,
+	[{disc_copies, [node()]},
+	    {attributes, record_info(fields, pubsub_orphan)}]),
     ItemsFields = record_info(fields, pubsub_item),
     case mnesia:table_info(pubsub_item, attributes) of
 	ItemsFields -> ok;
@@ -138,8 +141,10 @@ delete_node(Nodes) ->
     Reply = lists:map(fun (#pubsub_node{id = Nidx} = PubsubNode) ->
 		    {result, States} = get_states(Nidx),
 		    lists:foreach(fun (State) ->
-				del_state(State)
+				del_items(Nidx, State#pubsub_state.items),
+				del_state(State#pubsub_state{items = []})
 			end, States),
+		    del_orphan_items(Nidx),
 		    {PubsubNode, lists:flatmap(Tr, States)}
 	    end, Nodes),
     {result, {default, broadcast, Reply}}.
@@ -472,6 +477,7 @@ purge_node(Nidx, Owner) ->
 			set_state(S#pubsub_state{items = []})
 		end,
 		States),
+	    del_orphan_items(Nidx),
 	    {result, {default, broadcast}};
 	_ ->
 	    {error, xmpp:err_forbidden()}
@@ -696,9 +702,15 @@ set_state(State) when is_record(State, pubsub_state) ->
 %set_state(_) -> {error, ?ERR_INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR}.
 
 %% @doc <p>Delete a state from database.</p>
-del_state(#pubsub_state{stateid = {LJID, Nidx}, items = Items}) ->
-    del_items(Nidx, Items),
-    mnesia:delete({pubsub_state, {LJID, Nidx}}).
+del_state(#pubsub_state{stateid = {Key, Nidx}, items = Items}) ->
+    case Items of
+	[] ->
+	    ok;
+	_ ->
+	    Orphan = #pubsub_orphan{nodeid = Nidx, items = Items},
+	    mnesia:write(Orphan)
+    end,
+    mnesia:delete({pubsub_state, {Key, Nidx}}).
 
 %% @doc Returns the list of stored items for a given node.
 %% <p>For the default PubSub module, items are stored in Mnesia database.</p>
@@ -801,6 +813,15 @@ del_items(Nidx, ItemIds) ->
 	end,
 	ItemIds).
 
+del_orphan_items(Nidx) ->
+    case mnesia:read({pubsub_orphan, Nidx}) of
+	[#pubsub_orphan{items = ItemIds}] ->
+	    del_items(Nidx, ItemIds),
+	    mnesia:delete({pubsub_orphan, Nidx});
+	_ ->
+	    ok
+    end.
+
 get_item_name(_Host, _Node, Id) ->
     Id.
 
diff --git a/src/node_flat_sql.erl b/src/node_flat_sql.erl
index 2372b5357..7e5ce788f 100644
--- a/src/node_flat_sql.erl
+++ b/src/node_flat_sql.erl
@@ -641,9 +641,6 @@ set_state(Nidx, State) ->
 
 del_state(Nidx, JID) ->
     J = encode_jid(JID),
-    catch ejabberd_sql:sql_query_t(
-            ?SQL("delete from pubsub_item where publisher=%(J)s"
-                 " and nodeid=%(Nidx)d")),
     catch ejabberd_sql:sql_query_t(
             ?SQL("delete from pubsub_state"
                  " where jid=%(J)s and nodeid=%(Nidx)d")),