Common Infections after Surgery

Surgery is usually the last resort of treatment once it is realized that the oral or injected medications are of no help anymore. However, many a time, a surgery can cause an infection as well. How would you identify the infection after surgery? How would you know if the discomfort and problems that you are facing are the consequences of an infection and not the healing process? When the mechanism of your body is hampered with, it would definitely result in certain problems due to your body's reaction to defend itself from the external agents. Once the surgery is done, the body becomes weak and therefore a lot of care and caution should be taken to make sure that the operated site is not exposed to bacteria and germs to be able to cause an infection. Though most of the health care specialists take good care of this parameter, a few cases do come up with postoperative complications. These infections include pain, swelling, pus formation, skin discoloration and malaise. All these points are discussed in detail as we proceed further with this article.

Common Postoperative Infections

Post-surgical care usually involves checking the patient's response to the surgery and also keeping a check on the occurrence of an infection. However, at times, an infection tends to occur no matter how much of preventive measures are already taken. This usually happens in case of minor surgeries wherein the patient is permitted to go home within a few hours after surgery. It is in this case that most of the people fail to identify if what is happening to them is 'healing' or an 'infection'. Which is why it becomes extremely important for a person to keep a track on the physical discomforts that he or she is experiencing and speak to the doctor about the same as soon as possible. Early detection and identification of an infection can save you from a lot of trouble later on. Just go through the following points and learn about the most common infections after surgery.

Headaches and / or Pain in the Body
This is the most common infection post surgery, though it can also be confused with the aftereffects of the surgical procedure! It is normal to feel pain and discomfort on the operated site, however, if you are experiencing extreme body aches and severe headaches post surgery, you need to speak to your doctor about it as one of the causes could be an underlying infection.

Swelling and Redness
Observing swelling and redness on the area which has been operated is normal, if you feel that it is subsiding day by day and not becoming all the more severe. The incision may become hard and the redness and swelling around it may indicate the presence of an infection.

Pus and Drainage
This is rather a very serious infection and there is nothing normal about it. When the incision site is infected due to any reason, formation of pus begins. You may see that there is a formation of a thick greenish yellow semi liquid like substance. In some cases you will also see the pus with some tinge of blood along with it. If this is what you are experiencing then you must get in touch with your health care specialist as soon as possible to prevent further complications.

Fever
Again, experiencing mild fever is common after surgery, but if it reaches to as high as 101°C, then you should be worried. Which is why it is very important to keep measuring your body temperature with the help of a thermometer so that you can talk to your doctor while you notice mild fever and prevent it from becoming worse. The fever can also be accompanied by headaches, body aches, and malaise. However, malaise can also be present without fever.

Hot Incision
Another indication of an infection after surgery is experiencing a hot feeling when you touch the site of incision. This indicates that the incision is infected and that the body is fighting against the infection.

Other Infections Post Surgery

• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Discoloration of stool and urine
• Vomiting with or without blood
• Problems in urinating and/or passing stool
• Loss of appetite or being unable to eat food properly
• Breathing problems

The infections after surgery would differ depending upon the type of surgery that has been done. There are ways to prevent an infection after surgery. Nevertheless, once you have been keeping a track of how your body is responding after surgery, you can definitely prevent serious consequences. So take as much of rest and caution as possible till you heal completely. Take care and have a safe recovery.