Incisional Swelling And Drainage After Spine Surgery

Consult Page

61F h/o prior lumbar spine surgery here with drainage from incision

Initial Imaging

Walking Thoughts

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  What was the patient’s prior surgery? When was the surgery?

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  Is there hardware present?

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  How was the patient’s postoperative course?

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  What does the patient’s incision look like (e.g. erythema, swelling) and is there any drainage?

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  If there is drainage, what does it look like?

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  Does the patient have fevers, chills, meningitis, or other systemic signs of infection?

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  What is the patient’s current neurological exam?

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  What other symptoms is the patient having?

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  Are there symptoms of possible cerebrospinal fluid leak such as positional headaches, nausea, or vomiting?

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  Does the patient have any risk factors for poor wound healing or infection (e.g. diabetes, obesity, smoking, cancer history, prior radiation, poor nutritional status)? Is the patient immunocompromised?

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  Were there any intraoperative risk factors for infection (e.g. prolonged case, use of implants, revision surgery, prior infection)?