Self Care Articles

Is this your symptom?

• Concerns about a surgical wound or incision site.
• A common concern is wound infection. Symptoms of infection include spreading redness or red streaks, pus, and increasing pain or swelling.

Key Points

• Most surgical wounds heal without any problems.
• Mild swelling and pain at the incision site are normal.
• It is important to keep the site clean and protected as it heals.
• Watch the site for signs of infection such as spreading redness or red streaks, pus, and increased pain or swelling.

Problems - Surgical Wound or Incision

Wound infection is the most common problem that can occur with surgical wounds. Symptoms of wound infection include:

• Fever
• Lymph node near wound becomes large and tender
• Pain or swelling that gets worse 48 hours after surgery
• Pus or bad-smelling fluid drains from wound
• Spreading redness occurs around the wound (cellulitis)
• Red streak is spreading from the wound toward the heart (lymphangitis)

Wound infection occurs more often with abdomen (belly) and emergency surgeries. Other risk factors for surgical wound infections include:

• Diabetes
• Older age
• Overweight
• Smoking
• Weak immune system

Less common surgical wound problems include:

• Bleeding
• Surgical wound hematoma (collection of blood in tissues)
• Surgical wound starts to open up

Causes

• Bacteria on the skin cause most wound infections.
• Your skin is a natural barrier that keeps out germs (bacteria).
• Surgery causes a break in the skin barrier. This allows bacteria to enter and cause infection.

Prevention

• Follow your post-op instructions for wound care and activity restrictions.
• Keep your wound clean.
• Protect the incision from injury during the first month.
• Avoid vigorous exercise or strenuous work for the first month (or longer for some surgeries).
• Do not smoke for the first month after surgery. Smoking slows wound healing.

When Should Stitches (Staples) Be Removed?

Your surgeon should tell you when your stitches (or staples) need to be removed. These are general guidelines for when they should be taken out:

• Face: 4 to 5 days
• Neck: 7 days
• Scalp: 7 to 10 days
• Back, chest, and abdomen: 7 to 10 days
• Arms and back of hands: 7 days
• Legs and top of feet: 10 days
• Fingers and toes: 10 to 14 days
• Palms and soles of feet: 12 to 14 days
• Overlying a joint: 12 to 14 days