Pacemaker Club: Infection at incision scar

Infection at incision scar

by ladydee
2010-03-16 11:03:00
Complications
5162 views
4 comments

Hi everyone, I feel I am still pretty new at this, got my PM 6 weeks ago, two leads and things seem to be going along good and 5 days ago a mean looking red spot developed at one end of my scar. I went to see heart dr. (my surgeon was out of country), the dr. just prescribed antibotics, and I am now waiting to see infection specialist ... just wondering, any one out there have any problem with post surgery infection? How long to resolve problem, how was that done? Will appreciate your info back - thanks.

4 Comments

Red spot at incision

by Smart Redd - 2010-03-16 07:03:33

If the rest of the scar seems to have healed (or be healing) properly, you might have an infection where the stitches are poking through.

Although my DR. said he'd never heard of it happening before, (ya, right) there have been many on line who have had the same experience.

My incision was "super glued" and the stitches under the skin were all the dissolving type so I'd never expected to find two black threads squirting out from the infection (puss) at one end of my nearly healed scar.

Nothing more than having the nurse clip off the know on the threads which then popped back under my skin. Two years later, I have a well-healed scar with two 'pock mark' divots that remain from the infection those threads had caused.

Red

OOPS

by Smart Redd - 2010-03-16 07:03:58

Clip off the knots on Red's threads.

depends

by Tracey_E - 2010-03-16 12:03:06

It depends on what type of infection you have and how spread it is when you catch it. Hopefully the oral antibiotics will take care if it! If not, they'll try iv antibiotics next. Last resort is removing the pm and leads and putting it in again when it's cleared up. Good luck at the infection specialist.

might be recurring

by ro - 2010-03-19 12:03:09

I have had my pacemaker for a year and a half. Due to diaphram pacing and leads moving, I had to have revisions four times in four months, and ended up with an infection at the site. Oral antibiotics didn't help, so I went on IV antibiotics for a month and that seemed to take care of it. However, periodically the site would itch and get red, then subside, and recently a dermatologist looked at it and told me to see my cardiologist, as the site was red and warm. I saw an Infectious Disease Dr. who has started me on oral antibiotics. She says if that doesn't work, it'll either be IV or something else....