Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesTypesTreatmentPreventionWhen to Call a Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Types
Treatment
Prevention
When to Call a Provider
A fever after surgery (postoperative fever) is a common complication. There are a range of reasons why you might get a fever after surgery, including problems like infections that need treatment. You might be more likely to have a post-op fever after a major surgery or procedure because your body is under a lot of stress and there is more tissue trauma and inflammation.Both children and adults can get fevers after surgery.
Most postoperative fevers are not serious and can be treated at home with Tylenol (acetaminophen).Some low-gradefeversdo not need treatment at all and will get better on their own. However, a fever after surgery can also be a sign of a more serious complication like an infection. That’s why any fever after surgery needs to be taken seriously and watched closely.
This article explains some of the reasons you could have a fever after surgery. It also discusses how to treat a postoperative fever and when to call your provider if you have a fever after surgery.
Causes of Fever After Surgery
Surgery-related fevers can have different causes.
Lung Problems
Two post-surgery complications that can cause fever includeatelectasisand pneumonia.
A partial or completely collapsed lung (atelectasis) is one of the most common causes of fever after surgery.Anesthesia causes the little air sacs (alveoli) within your lungs to deflate, leading to areas of the lung collapsing.
What Makes Pneumonitis vs. Pneumonia Different?
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
A urinary tract infection (UTI)can cause a fever post-surgery. If you had a urinary catheter during your surgery, you have a higher chance of getting a UTI.
Other Infections
There are also otherinfections that could cause a fever after surgery:
Blood Clots
A low-grade fever is sometimes seen in patients withblood clots after surgery. However, they will also usually have other symptoms of a blood clot like pain and shortness of breath.
Types of blood clots that can happen after surgery include:
Medication Reaction
Non-Surgical Causes
Sometimes, the surgery itself is not the cause of a postoperative fever. You could have caught the flu a few days after surgery or you might have an infection that isn’t related to the procedure.
The more time that passes between the day of your surgery and the day of your fever, the less likely it is that the fever is related to your surgery. This is especially true if you are weeks into your recovery when you get a fever.
Common non-surgical causes of fever include:
How to Take Your Temperature
Types of Postoperative Fevers
You may have different types of fevers after surgery, based on how high your temperature is. You also might start out with one type of fever that progresses to a more serious type.
A Word From VerywellThe timeline and severity of a fever provide extensive information about its source. Mild postoperative inflammation is expected and may cause a low grade fever. More emergent causes, such as DVT, pulmonary embolus, and infection warrant immediate investigation and treatment. It’s advisable to speak with your surgeon about any fever in order to rule out and prevent or treat serious complications.—ALEXIS APPELSTEIN, DO, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
The timeline and severity of a fever provide extensive information about its source. Mild postoperative inflammation is expected and may cause a low grade fever. More emergent causes, such as DVT, pulmonary embolus, and infection warrant immediate investigation and treatment. It’s advisable to speak with your surgeon about any fever in order to rule out and prevent or treat serious complications.—ALEXIS APPELSTEIN, DO, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
The timeline and severity of a fever provide extensive information about its source. Mild postoperative inflammation is expected and may cause a low grade fever. More emergent causes, such as DVT, pulmonary embolus, and infection warrant immediate investigation and treatment. It’s advisable to speak with your surgeon about any fever in order to rule out and prevent or treat serious complications.
—ALEXIS APPELSTEIN, DO, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
Low-Grade Fever
A fever is considered low-grade if your temperature isone or two degrees above the normal reading of 98.6 degrees F. While it might not be a serious fever, it’s still best to let your healthcare provider know if you have a low-grade fever after surgery.
Afever of 99 F isvery common, especially in the first week while your incision is healing. If you have a fever and your incision is not healing well, tell your provider right away. You may need medical attention.
You should also let your healthcare provider know if you have a low-grade fever that does not go away after a few days.
What Temperature Is Considered a Low-Grade Fever?
Moderate Fever
A fever between100.6 F and 102 Fis considered moderate.If you have a moderate fever after surgery along with the following symptoms, your provider might want to see you as soon as possible or send you to urgent care or the ER:
These symptoms can be a sign that a post-surgery problem is developing.
You should also get medical care if your fever does not come down within an hour of taking a dose of a fever-reducer such as Tylenol.
High Fever
A feverhigher than 102 Fin adults needs immediate medical attention.A fever this high could mean you have a serious infection, there is a problem with your surgical site, or you are having a seriousreaction to a medication.
Tell your provider if you have a high fever, then go to urgent care or the ER.
When Is a High Fever Dangerous?
Treatment for Post-Operative Fever
A low-grade fever may not need treatment other than over-the-counter (OTC) medications such as Tylenol. These medications are usually effective for treating a fever.
If you are taking pain medication that contains Tylenol or Advil (ibuprofen) after surgery, know that you could have a fever and not realize it. These medications typically lower fever and treat pain at the same time.
Bringing down a fever with medication may not be enough. You may have an infection that requires prescription antibiotics or need wound care.
If you have a high fever, your provider may do blood, urine, and wound cultures. These tests can help determine which bacteria or other organisms are causing infection and make the best choice for treatment.
Your provider might want you to start treatment before your test results come back. Alternatively, they also may have you wait until the test shows what the cause of the infection is before making a decision about treatment.
In some cases, your surgeon might want you to start taking antibiotics before surgery or right after, even if you do not have any signs of an infection, as a preventive measure.
5 Ways to Bring Down a Fever Safely
How to Prevent Fever After Surgery
There are some steps you can take after surgery toprevent an infection:
What to Do If You Have a Fever
When to Call a Healthcare Provider
Call your provider if you have a fever after surgery, even if it’s not very high. While they might tell you that it’s nothing to worry about, they will probably want you to keep an eye on it and let them know if it’s not getting better. They’ll also want to know if you start having any other symptoms (like a pus-filled discharge from your incisions or increased swelling) that could point to a post-op problem like an infection.
Summary
It is very common to have a mild fever after surgery. If you have a fever between 99 F and 101 F, it may go away on its own or with OTC medication. However, you should still tell your provider you have a fever and check it to make sure it’s not getting worse.
A fever can be a sign that you’re developing an infection somewhere in your body. If your fever is high or not getting better, your provider might need to do tests to figure out the cause and recommend treatment.
Having a fever over 102 F needs medical attention. You should also go to urgent care or the ER if you have nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, disorientation, or any signs of wound infection after surgery.
When to Call Your Provider About a Cold or The Flu
14 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Keijmel SP, Zwartkruis IMM, Jongenotter J, Geuzebroek GSC, Kouijzer IJE.Postoperative Inflammation and Fever After Elective Aortic Valve and Aortic Root Replacement: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Open Forum Infect Dis.2023 Jan 13;10(1):ofad015. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofad015.Maday KR, Hurt JB, Harrelson P, Porterfield JR.Evaluating postoperative fever.JAAPA. 2016;29(10):23-28. doi:10.1097/01.jaa.0000496951.72463.deAshley B, Spiegel DA, Cahill P, Talwar D, Baldwin KD.Post-operative fever in orthopaedic surgery: How effective is the ‘fever workup?‘J Orthop Surg (Hong Kong). 2017;25(3):2309499017727953. doi:10.1177/2309499017727953Lagier D, Zeng C, Fernandez-Bustamante A, Vidal MF.Perioperative pulmonary atelectasis: part II. clinical implications.Anesthesiology. 2021;136(1):206-236. doi:https://doi.org/10.1097/aln.0000000000004009Xiang B, Jiao S, Si Y, Yao Y, Yuan F, Chen R.Risk factors for postoperative pneumonia: A case-control study.Front Public Health. 2022;10:913897. Published 2022 Jul 8. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.913897Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Catheter-associated urinary tract infection basics.Johns Hopkins Health.Surgical site infections.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Venous thromboembolism (blood clots).Saad M, Shaikh DH, Mantri N, Alemam A, Zhang A, Adrish M.Fever is associated with higher morbidity and clot burden in patients with acute pulmonary embolism.BMJ Open Respir Res. 2018;5(1):e000327. Published 2018 Sep 23. doi:10.1136/bmjresp-2018-000327American Society of Anesthesiologists.Effects of anesthesia.Meier K, Lee K.Neurogenic fever: Review of pathophysiology, evaluation, and management.J Intensive Care Med.2017;32(2):124-129. doi:10.1177/0885066615625194Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.Fever in adults.Rao J, Singh A.Evaluation of postoperative pyrexia in general surgery patients in Medicity Institute of Medical Sciences, Ghanpur, Medchal, India.International Surgery Journal.2018;5(6). doi:10.18203/2349-2902.isj20182014BMJ Best Practice.Assessment of postoperative fever - Differential diagnosis of symptoms.
14 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Keijmel SP, Zwartkruis IMM, Jongenotter J, Geuzebroek GSC, Kouijzer IJE.Postoperative Inflammation and Fever After Elective Aortic Valve and Aortic Root Replacement: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Open Forum Infect Dis.2023 Jan 13;10(1):ofad015. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofad015.Maday KR, Hurt JB, Harrelson P, Porterfield JR.Evaluating postoperative fever.JAAPA. 2016;29(10):23-28. doi:10.1097/01.jaa.0000496951.72463.deAshley B, Spiegel DA, Cahill P, Talwar D, Baldwin KD.Post-operative fever in orthopaedic surgery: How effective is the ‘fever workup?‘J Orthop Surg (Hong Kong). 2017;25(3):2309499017727953. doi:10.1177/2309499017727953Lagier D, Zeng C, Fernandez-Bustamante A, Vidal MF.Perioperative pulmonary atelectasis: part II. clinical implications.Anesthesiology. 2021;136(1):206-236. doi:https://doi.org/10.1097/aln.0000000000004009Xiang B, Jiao S, Si Y, Yao Y, Yuan F, Chen R.Risk factors for postoperative pneumonia: A case-control study.Front Public Health. 2022;10:913897. Published 2022 Jul 8. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.913897Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Catheter-associated urinary tract infection basics.Johns Hopkins Health.Surgical site infections.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Venous thromboembolism (blood clots).Saad M, Shaikh DH, Mantri N, Alemam A, Zhang A, Adrish M.Fever is associated with higher morbidity and clot burden in patients with acute pulmonary embolism.BMJ Open Respir Res. 2018;5(1):e000327. Published 2018 Sep 23. doi:10.1136/bmjresp-2018-000327American Society of Anesthesiologists.Effects of anesthesia.Meier K, Lee K.Neurogenic fever: Review of pathophysiology, evaluation, and management.J Intensive Care Med.2017;32(2):124-129. doi:10.1177/0885066615625194Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.Fever in adults.Rao J, Singh A.Evaluation of postoperative pyrexia in general surgery patients in Medicity Institute of Medical Sciences, Ghanpur, Medchal, India.International Surgery Journal.2018;5(6). doi:10.18203/2349-2902.isj20182014BMJ Best Practice.Assessment of postoperative fever - Differential diagnosis of symptoms.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Keijmel SP, Zwartkruis IMM, Jongenotter J, Geuzebroek GSC, Kouijzer IJE.Postoperative Inflammation and Fever After Elective Aortic Valve and Aortic Root Replacement: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Open Forum Infect Dis.2023 Jan 13;10(1):ofad015. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofad015.Maday KR, Hurt JB, Harrelson P, Porterfield JR.Evaluating postoperative fever.JAAPA. 2016;29(10):23-28. doi:10.1097/01.jaa.0000496951.72463.deAshley B, Spiegel DA, Cahill P, Talwar D, Baldwin KD.Post-operative fever in orthopaedic surgery: How effective is the ‘fever workup?‘J Orthop Surg (Hong Kong). 2017;25(3):2309499017727953. doi:10.1177/2309499017727953Lagier D, Zeng C, Fernandez-Bustamante A, Vidal MF.Perioperative pulmonary atelectasis: part II. clinical implications.Anesthesiology. 2021;136(1):206-236. doi:https://doi.org/10.1097/aln.0000000000004009Xiang B, Jiao S, Si Y, Yao Y, Yuan F, Chen R.Risk factors for postoperative pneumonia: A case-control study.Front Public Health. 2022;10:913897. Published 2022 Jul 8. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.913897Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Catheter-associated urinary tract infection basics.Johns Hopkins Health.Surgical site infections.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Venous thromboembolism (blood clots).Saad M, Shaikh DH, Mantri N, Alemam A, Zhang A, Adrish M.Fever is associated with higher morbidity and clot burden in patients with acute pulmonary embolism.BMJ Open Respir Res. 2018;5(1):e000327. Published 2018 Sep 23. doi:10.1136/bmjresp-2018-000327American Society of Anesthesiologists.Effects of anesthesia.Meier K, Lee K.Neurogenic fever: Review of pathophysiology, evaluation, and management.J Intensive Care Med.2017;32(2):124-129. doi:10.1177/0885066615625194Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.Fever in adults.Rao J, Singh A.Evaluation of postoperative pyrexia in general surgery patients in Medicity Institute of Medical Sciences, Ghanpur, Medchal, India.International Surgery Journal.2018;5(6). doi:10.18203/2349-2902.isj20182014BMJ Best Practice.Assessment of postoperative fever - Differential diagnosis of symptoms.
Keijmel SP, Zwartkruis IMM, Jongenotter J, Geuzebroek GSC, Kouijzer IJE.Postoperative Inflammation and Fever After Elective Aortic Valve and Aortic Root Replacement: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Open Forum Infect Dis.2023 Jan 13;10(1):ofad015. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofad015.
Maday KR, Hurt JB, Harrelson P, Porterfield JR.Evaluating postoperative fever.JAAPA. 2016;29(10):23-28. doi:10.1097/01.jaa.0000496951.72463.de
Ashley B, Spiegel DA, Cahill P, Talwar D, Baldwin KD.Post-operative fever in orthopaedic surgery: How effective is the ‘fever workup?‘J Orthop Surg (Hong Kong). 2017;25(3):2309499017727953. doi:10.1177/2309499017727953
Lagier D, Zeng C, Fernandez-Bustamante A, Vidal MF.Perioperative pulmonary atelectasis: part II. clinical implications.Anesthesiology. 2021;136(1):206-236. doi:https://doi.org/10.1097/aln.0000000000004009
Xiang B, Jiao S, Si Y, Yao Y, Yuan F, Chen R.Risk factors for postoperative pneumonia: A case-control study.Front Public Health. 2022;10:913897. Published 2022 Jul 8. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.913897
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Catheter-associated urinary tract infection basics.
Johns Hopkins Health.Surgical site infections.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Venous thromboembolism (blood clots).
Saad M, Shaikh DH, Mantri N, Alemam A, Zhang A, Adrish M.Fever is associated with higher morbidity and clot burden in patients with acute pulmonary embolism.BMJ Open Respir Res. 2018;5(1):e000327. Published 2018 Sep 23. doi:10.1136/bmjresp-2018-000327
American Society of Anesthesiologists.Effects of anesthesia.
Meier K, Lee K.Neurogenic fever: Review of pathophysiology, evaluation, and management.J Intensive Care Med.2017;32(2):124-129. doi:10.1177/0885066615625194
Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.Fever in adults.
Rao J, Singh A.Evaluation of postoperative pyrexia in general surgery patients in Medicity Institute of Medical Sciences, Ghanpur, Medchal, India.International Surgery Journal.2018;5(6). doi:10.18203/2349-2902.isj20182014
BMJ Best Practice.Assessment of postoperative fever - Differential diagnosis of symptoms.
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