Jul 1, 2016

Interviewer: You lot just had a surgical procedure and a few days after an infection develops. Would you lot know what that even looks like? Nosotros'll talk about that next on The Scope.

Announcer: This is From the Front Lines with emergency room physician Dr. Troy Madsen on The Telescopic.

Interviewer: Dr. Troy Madsen is an emergency room physician at University of Utah Health Care, and 1 bespeak we were talking about some of the things that yous see and one of the things that you see fairly ordinarily are surgical site infection. So if somebody has had a procedure done and it'due south gotten infected, which tin happen, and then they come up into the ER to get treatment. Tell me a little bit about that.

Dr. Madsen: You lot're right. It is something that happens. Surgeons do everything they possibly can do to limit the infection rates with sterile process and all the steps that are taken during and after an functioning, but infections even so are non uncommon. We do encounter those cases in the ER of people who have had operations and take infections, and I recall the biggest thing that's challenging with this is sometimes nosotros see cases where people have really astringent infections.

Interviewer: Like they waited besides long?

Dr. Madsen: Exactly. And you recollect to yourself, "Human being, if they had simply come in ii days ago, they could have just gotten on an antibiotic and gone domicile." But at this point information technology'south get so severe that they have to be admitted to the infirmary on Four antibiotics, sometimes have to go back to the operating room to open up that up and effort and get that infection out. So it's certainly worth knowing what to picket for.

The number one thing is fever. If you've had an infection, if yous're having fevers, that's a reason to absolutely call your surgeon. They volition probable tell you either come across me in clinic this evening or today or tomorrow or get to the ER to get blood work done and accept a look at the wound.

The other thing we'll see is drainage from the wound. Information technology'due south natural to have some kind of drainage, maybe a picayune haemorrhage from the wound after an operation, just if y'all start to encounter this yellowish colored or darker colored pus coming out of there, or you're seeing this on the dressing that goes on the wound, that'due south a reason to again call your surgeon and/or get to the ER.

The other large thing is redness around the wound. Yous figure you had part of your body cut open, information technology'southward going to be kind of irritated, kind of inflamed, but when you outset to come across this brilliant cherry-red color effectually a wound, you touch it, information technology feels warm, that's some other pretty serious sign that y'all've got an infection in your wound.

And then these are probably the three biggest things that I come across; drainage from the wound, redness around the wound, fever, all reasons to get in touch with your surgeon, get someone to take a look at this, and then possibly get on an antibiotic to grab this early on enough so it'south non something that requires hospitalization or another surgery.

Interviewer: So it sounds like time is crucially important, and information technology's not one of those things that yous might want to go, "Well, I'1000 just going to expect another half solar day and come across if it starts looking any worse."

Dr. Madsen: Exactly, and at that place's no harm in merely having someone take a expect at it. It's a time where yous actually practise take to be careful. No harm in having someone take a look and say, "Actually, that'due south normal, that'due south what'south expected after surgery," and then giving it another twenty-four hour period or 2, simply you want to take hold of these things early.

Interviewer: Yeah. And so call your surgeon. If you're not able to get a hold of them, an urgent care if they're open, would that be okay?

Dr. Madsen: Yes, equally long as you've got someone who tin can look at it, an urgent care or . . . they may prefer you to come up to the ER, just because if information technology'south the ER, preferably the 1 affiliated with the hospital where you had the surgery, because then the ER knows exactly what the procedure was. The surgeon can then access all the records from the ER. It just makes it a little easier that way to get a sense of what's going on.

Interviewer: Gotcha. Then accept somebody take a expect at it. Have it seriously.

Dr. Madsen: Yes.

Interviewer: Specially if yous merely had a surgery.

Dr. Madsen: Absolutely.

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