After any surgical procedure, monitoring the wound site for signs of infection is essential. Redness, warmth, swelling, discharge, or increasing pain around the incision can all indicate that something is not healing as it should. If you are concerned about a wound after surgery and need prompt assessment, a private doctor in London can see you the same day, examine the wound properly, and start treatment immediately if needed.
Signs of a Post Surgical Wound Infection
Normal wound healing involves some redness and tenderness in the first few days. This is the body’s inflammatory response and it settles. What is not normal is redness that spreads beyond the wound margins, warmth that increases rather than decreases, pus or cloudy discharge from the wound, increasing pain rather than improving pain, fever, or a general feeling of being unwell. If any of these develop, you should see a doctor without delay.
From Our Practice: A Hip Wound That Was Getting Worse
A patient attended Clinique Alpa approximately 2 weeks after a left hip operation. They had noticed increasing tightness and heaviness around the surgical site over several days. Their medical history included asthma, and they were taking blood pressure medication, a medication for gout, and an anticoagulant.
On examination, the left thigh was warm to the touch with purulent discharge from the wound. Temperature was 37.6 degrees, respiratory rate 20, oxygen saturation 97 per cent, heart rate 83, and blood pressure 172/78, which improved to 160/74 on repeat. Blood glucose was 7.2. The clinical picture was consistent with a post operative wound infection of the left hip.
We prescribed a targeted antibiotic to be taken four times daily for 10 days, applied mepilex dressings to the wound, and provided clear safety netting about when to seek further help: if the redness spread significantly, if the discharge became worse, if fever developed above 38 degrees, or if the patient felt systemically unwell. We also flagged the elevated blood pressure for ongoing monitoring, as this patient was already on antihypertensive medication and the readings suggested suboptimal control.
Post surgical wound infections need to be caught early. A 2 week delay waiting for a GP appointment can allow a localised infection to become a deep tissue infection or worse. Same day assessment and immediate antibiotic treatment is the correct approach.
Wound Care at Home
For patients who cannot easily travel to the clinic, particularly after hip, knee, or abdominal surgery, Clinique Alpa offers home visits. Dr Parmar can assess the wound in your home, change dressings, prescribe antibiotics, and arrange follow up care without you needing to leave the house. Through our CQC registered domiciliary care service, Alpa Care, we can also arrange ongoing wound care visits by trained carers under Dr Parmar’s clinical supervision.
Book a Same Day Wound Assessment
If you are worried about a surgical wound, do not wait. Contact Clinique Alpa today.
Visit cliniquealpa.co.uk or call 0208 882 8088.