Postnatal care Flashcards
1
Q
A
1
Q
Puerperal pyrexia definition, causes and management
A
Puerperal pyrexia may be defined as a temperature of > 38ºC in the first 14 days following delivery.
Causes:
* endometritis: most common cause
* urinary tract infection
* wound infections (perineal tears + caesarean section)
* mastitis
* venous thromboembolism
Management
if endometritis is suspected the patient should be referred to hospital for intravenous antibiotics (clindamycin and gentamicin until afebrile for greater than 24 hours)
