Incision Infection (superficial)

Wound infection

by Rch - 2024-07-26 01:25:05

Hi

Sorry to hear that you have wound infection but glad all the cultures so far have been negative. Were they blood cultures, wound swab cultures or both? Were the cultures done before the antibiotics started? If done afterwards, they would be falsely negative. Did you have prophylactic antibiotic drip before the pacemaker? If so, the chances are less that you have pocket infection. The only way to determine if it's pocket vs superficial, is to look at the wound and feel the site. So, my advice would be to office-visit the provider than a video or a phone call. 

I would err on the side of caution too

by Gemita - 2024-07-26 03:19:07

Mayan, I can understand your real concerns to protect yourself and your device/leads and that you are not completely confident that you are really free from infection.  Until you have that confidence restored, you should continue to seek advice.  Trust your gut instinct about this.  

Rch has already given sound advice.  I would go even further and visit an emergency department for a ‘full’ re-assessment and don’t come away until you are completely reassured and/or appropriately treated.  That re-assessment might include imaging to see whether any potential infection is limited to the device pocket.  I would rather be wrong about any significant infection, than to be sorry I didn’t act sooner.  Remember device replacement and revision procedures are associated with a higher risk of infection compared with primary implantation.

Please take care and keep in touch

Edit:  I see from your past posts that your first pacemaker was switched off and that you were told you did not need it.  Sounds rather similar to another post currently running.  What is the position today, should you ever require an extraction due to infection? 

Incision Infection Up-date

by mayan2012 - 2024-07-28 16:41:15

Hello Rch and Geminta, Thank you for your responses. I had the first blood culture done before the antibiotics and the swab. (negative). Stayed on them for 7 days.  5 days later more blood cultures and after 5 days negative in lab. They took another swab on July 24th where there was pus this time. No results yet. It is one spot that still leaks a small amount of pus where they believe is a sutre knot.

Yes I did have the prophylactic antibiotic drip before the new implant and I believe there is also one put in the site before surgery.

The wound only has a small dot where the pus comes out, the rest has healed properly and it is not red or warm to touch. No fever but fluctuating body temperature as my normal is 95.8- 97.1. It has been 98.9 a few times. No pain but some sensitivity. They require pictures and I send them every second day. They did say if it was not fully healed in 2 weeks they would have to revist what to do . This is at the pacemaker Unit at Sunnybrook in Toronto.

I was hoping that if someone had this happen as superfical they could tell me how long it continued for.

Geminta, I requested the pacemaker to be shut off to prove to them there was something wrong with the settings. Back then I was pacing @ 1% so very little risk for it to be shut off. When it was for 4 days I felt my old self again and no symptoms of what I had been experiencing. They said I need a CT scan because there is nothing wrong with the settings and the Doctor actually said "suck it up buttercup". That was the final straw, I got another Doctor to refer me out of my city to a Doctor that I researched. Within 2 appointments the settings were changed and NO more symtoms (sweating, high heart rate at night, feeling of syncope and tired) All they had to do was put me on a treadmill and they would see the issue. However now I pace @ 100%. So if they have to do the surgery it will be a lot more complicated.