Postoperative fever

Causes and risk

Fever after surgery is read by the day on which it starts. A rule of thumb groups the causes as wind, water, wound, walking and wonder drugs. Fever on day 1 to 2 after laparotomy is atelectasis: not wound infection, not DVT, not an intra-abdominal abscess and not a catheter infection.

The day after surgery is not always atelectasis, though. In a patient with sickle cell disease, fever with shortness of breath, decreased oxygen saturation, and bronchial breath sounds with coarse crackles after a laparoscopic cholecystectomy points to acute chest syndrome.