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.

 

More About Surgery

Sepsis After Surgery

Infection after surgery can cause sepsis. This could be infection in the incision (the opening in the skin) or an infection that develops after the surgery, such as pneumonia or a UTI.

When you have surgery, it is important to monitor the incision, watching it for signs of infection. This would be:

  • Increasing redness around the incision
  • Pus or other fluid coming from the incision
  • Warmer than usual skin around the incision
  • Increased pain around the incision
  • Fever
  • Fatigue

Pneumonia is not uncommon after having surgery, which is why it is important to get up and about as quickly as is possible after the operation. Deep breathing and coughing exercises are also helpful in keeping your lungs clear. Patients who needed a ventilator to help them breathe are also at a higher risk of developing pneumonia.

Other infections, such as UTIs may develop if you had to be catheterized (a tube inserted into your bladder). The longer the catheter remains in place, the higher the risk of infection.

Celebrities

Singer Bobby Darin and actor Jamie-Lynn Sigler both developed sepsis after surgery. Learn about more celebrities who had sepsis here.

Related Resources

Information Guide

Surgery

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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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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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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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Dennis S.

After having a colonoscopy due to minor but long term bleeding, they found I had numerous tumors in my descending and transverse sections of my colon. Because they were in 2 of the 3, they said the whole colon had to be removed, the tumors would appear in the ascending portion within a year. Surgery was done, removed the colon, built a Hartman’s pouch and re- attached my intestine. Just 24hrs after surgery, something was wrong. (Sepsis and Surgery) They had placed me in a ICU unit in an induced coma. It took a couple days but found out 1 ... Read Full Story

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Surgery