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Taking Antibiotic For Infection After A Cut. Is It Normal To Have Stitched Area Swollen And Warm?

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Posted on Thu, 14 Nov 2013
Twitter Thu, 14 Nov 2013 Answered on
Twitter Wed, 4 Dec 2013 Last reviewed on
Question : My grown up son cut the inside of his left foot with a chain saw. Chipped the bone but missed main arteries etc. This happened on October 27th 2013. Two layers of stitching and sent him home with something for the pain and also for infection. He has been back and forth to emergency and also has seen the specialist twice so far. He got a bad infection and was on iv antibiotic for 9 days. He is now on a pill form of antibiotic for infection. He has an appointment to see the specialist again on November 19th at which time he is supposed to get stitches out. It is still swollen around the area and warm to the touch. Is this natural? Thank you, XXXXXXX (a very concerned mom)
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Answered by Dr. Dr. Ivan Romich (1 hour later)
Brief Answer: Hi and welcome to XXXXXXX Detailed Answer: Thanks for the query. Such wounds are actually always primary contaminated and infection is expected. So stitches are always placed far one from another or even wound is left open to heal secondary. In larger defects,2 layer stitches can be placed but then drain should be placed to lower the risk of infection. It was obviously severely infected considering that you needed iv antibiotics. Complete heal may last for 5-8 weeks and you should not be worried if there is some sign of inflammation such as warmness or swelling. You should just be patient bit more. If there is pus secretion, smear should be taken and then the exact bacteria can be isolated so right antibiotic can be used. But if there is no pus,fever or significant redness,you dont have to worry. He is young and if he has no any serious disease which may slow down healing(such as diabetes or vasculitis) there is no reason for some other wound complications. Just keep wound clean. Also,this is pretty long period for stitch removal,i would remove it earlier,but it depends on opinion of your surgeon. All in all,wait till your appointment,nothing serious can happen,just watch for those signs I ve mentioned. Wish you good health. Feel free to ask. Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Dr. Dr. Ivan Romich

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Practicing since :2008

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Taking Antibiotic For Infection After A Cut. Is It Normal To Have Stitched Area Swollen And Warm?

Brief Answer: Hi and welcome to XXXXXXX Detailed Answer: Thanks for the query. Such wounds are actually always primary contaminated and infection is expected. So stitches are always placed far one from another or even wound is left open to heal secondary. In larger defects,2 layer stitches can be placed but then drain should be placed to lower the risk of infection. It was obviously severely infected considering that you needed iv antibiotics. Complete heal may last for 5-8 weeks and you should not be worried if there is some sign of inflammation such as warmness or swelling. You should just be patient bit more. If there is pus secretion, smear should be taken and then the exact bacteria can be isolated so right antibiotic can be used. But if there is no pus,fever or significant redness,you dont have to worry. He is young and if he has no any serious disease which may slow down healing(such as diabetes or vasculitis) there is no reason for some other wound complications. Just keep wound clean. Also,this is pretty long period for stitch removal,i would remove it earlier,but it depends on opinion of your surgeon. All in all,wait till your appointment,nothing serious can happen,just watch for those signs I ve mentioned. Wish you good health. Feel free to ask. Regards