If your wound starts to bleed or you notice blood on the dressing, do not panic. Slight oozing or spotting of blood on the dressing is normal. However, if the bleeding continues, apply firm, continuous pressure to the area for 20 minutes. (Usually this will stop most bleeding.)
Overview. After surgery, it is common to have some minor bruising or bleeding from the cut (incision) made by your doctor. But problems may occur that cause you to bleed too much in the surgery area. An injury to a blood vessel can cause bleeding after surgery.
Apply pressure
Place clean gauze or cloth on the wound and apply direct pressure. For stubborn small bleeds, you may need to hold pressure for 15 minutes without interruption to allow a clot to form.
A stitch that breaks open isn't necessarily an emergency, but it can become a potentially life-threatening problem if the entire incision opens or you see tissue pressing through. This article explains how an incision may open, and why it requires proper care and a close eye on healing.
It is normal to have some clear or bloody discharge on the wound covering or bandage (dressing) for the first few days after surgery. If your wound was stitched closed, you should not have to change the dressing more than 3 times a day in the first few days.
You will need to clean along your suture line once daily. First, wash your hands, then gently clean the suture line with soap and water. Make sure that you remove any dried blood or scab that has formed. Gently blot the wound dry to remove any excess moisture.
Keep your stitches or staples dry and covered with a bandage. Non-absorbable stitches and staples need to be kept dry for 1 to 2 days. Absorbable stitches sometimes need to be kept dry longer. Your doctor or nurse will tell you exactly how long to keep your stitches dry.
Symptoms of wound dehiscence
Staples or stitches are broken. Pain. Feeling of pulling or ripping like something popped. Drainage or bleeding from the wound, most often a clear to pink fluid.
This happens quite commonly, and when a stitch does come out, it can come to the surface with an inflamed red spot. Usually you can feel something like fishing line around this area.
A handful of studies have found that when wounds are kept moist and covered, blood vessels regenerate faster and the number of cells that cause inflammation drop more rapidly than they do in wounds allowed to air out. It is best to keep a wound moist and covered for at least five days.
Blood from the incisions? In general, no. The drainage of red-yellow fluid (called serosanguinous fluid) is normal and expected for up to several weeks after surgery, especially if a wound is present. The amount is usually small and should not soak a 4x4 gauze.
Signs it's working: During this stage of healing, you may experience swelling, redness or pain while your wound heals. Your skin may also feel hot to the touch, and you may see a clear liquid around your wound. These are all signs that the inflammatory stage of wound healing is well underway.
Protect the stitches.
You may need to cover your stitches with a bandage for 24 to 48 hours, or as directed. Do not bump or hit the suture area. This could open the wound. Do not trim or shorten the ends of your stitches.
After 48 hours, surgical wounds can get wet without increasing the risk of infection. After this time, you can get your stitches wet briefly with a light spray (such as in the shower), but they should not be soaked (for example, in the bath). Make sure you pat the area dry afterwards.
The four phases of wound healing. The complicated mechanism of wound healing occurs in four phases: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodelling.
What is minor or normal post operative bleeding? Drop a tablespoon or two of water on a tissue or paper towel, and note the size of the liquid patch. This is a normal amount of blood to ooze out of your incision immediately following your surgery (ie during the first few days post op).
Serous drainage, or blood serum, is a type of fluid that comes out of a wound with tissue damage. It's normal for your wound to leak small amounts of this clear fluid. However, if you notice your wound drains a lot of fluid, or if the fluid draining is thick like pus, contact a healthcare provider.
Some drainage from the incision may be expected for the first few days after surgery. But if the discharge does not decrease after a few days, becomes bright red with blood, or contains pus, contact your doctor.
Stitches can also tear or become loose, which may cause the wound to reopen. If this occurs, a person should see their doctor as soon as possible so that they can replace the stitches.
In some cases, only the edges of an incision may pull apart in one or more small areas. Health experts refer to this as partial dehiscence. In other cases, known as complete dehiscence, the entire wound reopens through layers of skin and muscle, which may expose internal tissues and organs.
Symptoms of infection include redness, swelling, warmth at the infected site, fever, pain, and swollen and tender lymph nodes. An individual with infected stitches may have: redness or red streaks around the area. tender and swollen lymph nodes closest to the location of the stitches.