What happens if my incision gets infected

Debridement should promote healing and prevent the infection from spreading. A person might require a tetanus shot if the cause of the wound was a bite or an injury from a dirty or rusty object. The CDC recommend that adults get a tetanus booster shot every 10 years to protect them against tetanus infection.

However, for certain types of wound, a doctor may still prescribe a tetanus shot for people who have not had one in the past 5 years. A wound infection can occur if bacteria enter and multiply inside the wound. Immediately cleaning and dressing cuts, grazes, and other small wounds is the best way to prevent infections.

However, people with larger, deeper, or more serious wounds should have a trained healthcare professional treat the injury. The signs and symptoms of wound infection can include increasing pain, swelling, and redness around the affected area. A person may be able to treat a mild infection of a small wound at home by recleaning and redressing the wound. However, more severe wound infections require prompt medical attention, particularly those that occur along with fever, feeling unwell, or discharge and red streaks coming from the wound.

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A study from a Washington, D. New research points to a correlation between high concentrations of airborne pollen and high rates of infection with the new coronavirus. How to recognize and treat an infected wound. Medically reviewed by Alana Biggers, M. How to recognize Treatment Prevention Risk factors Complications When to see a doctor Medical treatment Summary A wound infection occurs when germs, such as bacteria, grow within the damaged skin of a wound.

How to recognize a wound infection. Treating infected wounds at home. How to prevent wound infection. Organ or space SSI. This type of infection can be in any area of the body other than skin, muscle, and surrounding tissue that was involved in the surgery. This includes a body organ or a space between organs. Any SSI may cause redness, delayed healing, fever, pain, tenderness, warmth, or swelling. These are the other signs and symptoms for specific types of SSI:. A superficial incisional SSI may produce pus from the wound site.

Samples of the pus may be grown in a culture to find out the types of germs that are causing the infection. A deep incisional SSI may also produce pus. The wound site may reopen on its own, or a surgeon may reopen the wound and find pus inside the wound. An organ or space SSI may show a discharge of pus coming from a drain placed through the skin into a body space or organ. A collection of pus, called an abscess, is an enclosed area of pus and disintegrating tissue surrounded by inflammation.

An abscess may be seen when the surgeon reopens the wound or by special X-ray studies. Infections after surgery are caused by germs. The most common of these include the bacteria Staphylococcus , Streptococcus , and Pseudomonas. Germs can infect a surgical wound through various forms of contact, such as from the touch of a contaminated caregiver or surgical instrument, through germs in the air, or through germs that are already on or in your body and then spread into the wound.

The degree of risk for an SSI is linked to the type of surgical wound you have. Surgical wounds can be classified in this way:. This is a tube inserted into the bladder to drain urine. Pneumonia can also develop after surgery. This is a serious lung infection. Antibiotics can increase the risk of Clostridium difficile C. This is a type of bacteria that can infect your digestive tract. It is important to watch out for symptoms of infection. If you notice any of these symptoms after surgery, call your doctor.

Be aware of these signs of infection:. You can help prevent infection by taking care of your incision. Symptoms include:. Surgery patients are at a higher risk of pneumonia. If you develop a cough in the days following surgery, call your doctor. The antibiotics you receive during surgery can put you at risk for C. This is a bacterial infection of the large intestine. Watch for signs of other types of infections, including burning or urgent urination, a cough, and severe diarrhea.

A systemic infection is an infection that spreads through your body. This type of infection can be serious. Common symptoms are fever and malaise. Malaise is when you feel tired and lack energy. You may sleep more than usual. You may not feel up to doing normal things. These feelings are common in all surgery patients. The difference with an infection is their timing.

When recovering from surgery, most people feel a bit better each day. Someone developing an infection may feel better for a few days, then suddenly feel exhausted and lethargic. A fever is another sign of infection. When you have a fever , you may have chills. You may also have a poor appetite. Fevers can cause dehydration and headache, too. It is common to have a low-grade fever in the days after surgery. A low-grade fever is F or less.

Tell your surgeon if you have a fever of You can help stop an infection with a few simple steps. In the first few weeks after surgery, inspect your incision every day for signs of infection. You should also take your temperature daily. This can help you identify an infection early. It is best to take your temperature at the same time each day. It is important to identify an infection right away.

Prompt care can keep it from becoming more serious. Once your infection has been identified, your surgeon can prescribe antibiotics. These will help prevent the infection from spreading.

See a doctor if you think you might have an infection of any kind. Any infection after surgery can become very serious. Life-threatening infections can start with a very small area of infection. A urinary tract infection can become sepsis. Sepsis is a severe inflammatory reaction to an infection.

Sepsis can become septic shock. This is life-threatening. Septic shock decreases blood pressure and can lead to organ failure.

Patients with septic shock need intensive care. Even if you are careful, an infection can happen after surgery.

You may develop an infection in your incision. You could also develop a urinary tract infection, pneumonia, or another type of infection.

Watch for redness, swelling, drainage, pain, and warmth at the incision site.