Postoperative fever is where a Pt develops a fever after a surgery. It is a common condition, but is challenging, because it can be a hallmark of a serious underlying condition.

• If postop fever occurs in the first 24 hours after a major surgery, it is most often a result of natural and non-infectious inflammatory response to tissue injury sustained in the procedure itself → requires no intervention

5 W's, including:

• Wind, which occurs 1-2 days after surgery. It includes:
  • Lungs, i.e. pneumonia, and aspiration
• Water, which occurs 3-5 days after surgery. It includes:
  • UTI
  • Related to indwelling catheter (during surgery or currently, i.e. Foley catheter)
• Walking (or Veins, which sounds like "Weins", which occurs 4-6 adys after surgery. it includes:
  • DVT
  • PE (pulmonary embolism)
• Wound, which occurs 5-7 days after surgery. It includes:
  • Surgical site infection, e.g. the uterus
• Wonder drugs, which occurs 7+ days after surgery. It includes:
  • Drug fever
  • Infections related to IV lines or reaction to blood products

• ABC's, examining:
  • Ob's
  • Blood clots
  • Review of systems
• Urine culture
• Blood culture
• Wound culture
• Imaging

• IV antibiotics → prophylactic
• Anticoagulants (e.g. clexane) → thrombotic risk

• 33% will develop fever after a surgery depending on the type of surgery, but only a small percentage are due to an infection

• Fever (category)