Sepsis and Surgery

Surgery is a procedure that can affect your body in many ways aside from the actual reason for the operation.  Surgical procedures can be major, like open heart surgery, or minor, like a biopsy. What they have in common is an incision. Any type of surgical procedure exposes your body to infection and other complications, some of which could develop into sepsis.

Sepsis is a life-threatening emergency that happens when your body’s response to an infection damages vital organs and, often, causes death. Like strokes or heart attacks, sepsis is a medical emergency that requires rapid diagnosis and treatment.

Suggested Citation:
Sepsis Alliance. Sepsis and Surgery. 2024. https://www.sepsis.org/sepsisand/surgery/

Updated June 18, 2024.

 

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Lisa Bryant

It all started once I got my right right kidney taken out October 23rd, 2024. I was sent home 3 days later still sick with pneumonia and vomiting. (Sepsis and Surgery, Sepsis and Pneumonia) One week later I got sepsis. I couldn’t remember anything, I was confused and scared. I remember my stepdaughter came in my room and I had vomited and used the bathroom on myself real bad. She looked at me and asked me if I was ok and I just looked at her, then before I knew it my husband was calling the ambulance and I was ... Read Full Story

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Krystin H.

I have been chronically ill most of my life this wasn’t the first time being in the ICU but by far this time was the scariest. I finally got my health together and lost 150lbs. On Jan 17, 2024 after years of saving, I had an extended tummy tuck and breast reduction and lift. For the first 10 days everything was fine. I was healing normally. I was told at the 10 day mark if I was still doing well I could get a first lymphatic drainage massage. The practitioner was not clean (found out later) and within 12 hours, ... Read Full Story

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Cheryl Pedersen

I’m a 64 year old woman, who loved to camp, swim and paddle in her kayak. In Aug 2022 I had a laminectomy for a herniated disc in my lumber spine. I have rheumatoid arthritis and have been on immunosuppressant drugs for a few years. I stopped them 10 days prior to surgery. I felt immediately better. Eleven days later I started to feel weak and generally unwell. On Day 12 I suddenly developed chills and a fever. I’d never had chills before. I looked on my discharge paperwork and my symptoms fell under the reasons to call the surgeon. ... Read Full Story

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Jennifer Fitch

I went in for a routine endometrial ablation, expecting about a week of downtime before getting back to my normal life. But three days after the procedure, I started feeling what I thought was the flu. My temperature spiked to 103.6°F, and I couldn’t keep anything down. Concerned, I called my doctor’s office, and they advised me to go to the ER to rule out any infection from the procedure. (Sepsis and Surgery) That Sunday, I arrived at the ER, completely unaware of what the next week had in store for me. I was soon transported to the hospital where ... Read Full Story

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Ann Catherine L.

I had some female surgery. A few days later, I was a little achy and sleepy. I lost my appetite. I got out of bed on Monday morning and couldn’t stand up. I called my daughter and said, “I think I need to go to the hospital”. When we arrived I was taken right into a bed. My BP was 51 over 40. I was frozen. I couldn’t form a sentence. I was pumped full of different antibiotics until all the blood tests came back, then they used drugs that worked. I remember very little of my week in hospital. ... Read Full Story

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