Brainscape Flashcards
1
Q
Post-Operative Pyrexia
A
Early causes of post-op pyrexia (0-5 days) include:
- Blood transfusion
- Cellulitis
- Urinary tract infection
- Physiological systemic inflammatory reaction (usually within a day following the operation)
- Pulmonary atelectasis - this if often listed but the evidence base to support this link is limited
Late causes (>5 days) include:
- Venous thromboembolism
- Pneumonia
- Wound infection
- Anastomotic leak
When considering causes of post-op pyrexia, it is helpful to consider the memory aid of ‘the 4 W’s’ (wind, water, wound, what did we do? (iatrogenic).
