Post-operative fever, Guess what!!

We can suspect and classify the cause of post-operative fever according to it`s onset by :

Days 0 to 2: It may be
* Mild fever (T <38 °C) (Common) * Tissue damage and necrosis at operation site * Haematoma * Persistent fever (T >38 °C)
* Atelectasis: the collapsed lung may become secondarily infected
* Specific infections related to the surgery, e.g. biliary infection post biliary surgery, UTI post-urological surgery
* Blood transfusion or drug reaction

Days 3-5:

* Bronchopneumonia
* Sepsis
* Wound infection
* Drip site infection or phlebitis
* Abscess formation, e.g. subphrenic or pelvic, depending on the surgery involved
* DVT

After 5 days:

* Specific complications related to surgery, e.g. bowel anastomosis breakdown, fistula formation
* After the first week
* Wound infection
* Distant sites of infection, e.g. UTI
* DVT, pulmonary embolus (PE)