Post-Surgical Wound Care
Specialized in-home care for post-operative wounds, surgical site infections, and wound complications with evidence-based protocols to ensure proper healing and prevent serious complications.
What Are Post-Surgical Wound Complications?
Post-surgical wounds are incisions made during surgery that should heal through a predictable process. However, complications can occur, including surgical site infections (SSIs), wound dehiscence (incision reopening), delayed healing, or wound breakdown. These complications typically occur within the first 30 days after surgery, with wound dehiscence most common in the first 3-10 days. Surgical site infections happen when bacteria enter through the incision during or after surgery. Without prompt treatment, post-surgical wound complications can lead to serious consequences including prolonged recovery, hospital readmission, and in severe cases, life-threatening infections.
Who Qualifies for This Service?
You may benefit from post-surgical wound care if you have:
- A surgical incision showing signs of infection or delayed healing
- Wound dehiscence (incision edges separating or opening)
- Increased drainage, redness, or warmth around surgical site
- Recent hospital discharge with complex surgical wound
- Difficulty managing wound care at home after surgery
- Risk factors for surgical complications (diabetes, smoking, obesity)
- Need for specialized wound monitoring after major surgery
- Concerns about healing progress of surgical incision
Red Flags: When to Seek Emergency Care
Contact emergency services immediately if you experience:
- Wound evisceration: Internal organs visible through the incision (MEDICAL EMERGENCY)
- Fever above 101°F: with chills indicating possible sepsis
- Complete dehiscence: Incision fully separates with significant gap
- Heavy bleeding: from surgical site that doesn't stop with pressure
- Severe pain: sudden, intense pain at incision site with wound opening sensation
Post-Discharge Monitoring Matters
Approximately 60% of surgical site infections occur after hospital discharge, making post-operative home care critical for preventing complications. Most wound dehiscence (separation) occurs between days 3-10 after surgery, with early detection and intervention significantly improving outcomes and reducing the need for hospital readmission.
Surgical site infections affect 2-5% of surgical patients, with higher rates following certain procedures (colorectal surgery: 9-10%, cardiac surgery with sternotomy: 3-5%). Risk factors include diabetes, obesity, smoking, and immunosuppression. Professional home wound monitoring has been shown to reduce hospital readmission rates by 30-40% for high-risk surgical patients.
Serving The Woodlands Area
We provide post-surgical wound care throughout The Woodlands, Spring, Conroe, and Magnolia. In-home visits are valuable after surgery when transportation may be uncomfortable, allowing you to recover in your own home while receiving expert wound monitoring and care.
Ready to Start Healing?
Schedule an in-home post-surgical wound assessment today.