Post-Surgical Wound Care in St. Louis

What a post-surgical wound is

A post-surgical wound is the incision or open area left by an operation. Gateway arranges post-surgical wound care in St. Louis and the Metro East for people who have gone home or to a facility and need wound follow-up between visits with the surgeon.

Most incisions are closed with stitches, staples, skin glue or adhesive strips and heal along a clean line. Some are left open on purpose to heal from the bottom up, and some have a drain. Others start out closed and run into trouble: the edges separate, fluid collects under the skin, an infection develops, or healing is slower than expected. For a picture of normal recovery, see surgical incision healing and what to expect.

Gateway arranges care for this kind of wound across the region. See wound care in St. Louis for how visits at home and in facilities are set up.

Why a surgical wound can be slow to heal

The body needs good blood flow, nutrition and rest to repair an incision. Things that can get in the way:

Infection at the surgical site
Fluid or blood collecting beneath the incision
Strain on the incision from swelling, coughing, lifting or body shape
Diabetes, poor circulation, obesity or tobacco use
Low protein intake or weight loss around the time of surgery
Steroids, some other medications, or earlier radiation to the area
Location in a skin fold or over a joint, where skin stays moist or keeps moving

What the treating clinician considers

The surgeon’s instructions come first. A treating clinician doing wound follow-up works within those orders and contacts the surgeon’s office when something changes. A visit typically covers:

The type and date of surgery and the discharge instructions
Whether the incision edges are together, and any redness, swelling or warmth
The amount, color and odor of drainage
The status of stitches, staples or drains, and who is to remove them
Current dressing orders and limits on activity, lifting and bathing
Pain, temperature, appetite and activity

Our pages on dehisced surgical wounds and surgical site infections go further.

Post-surgical wound care at home and in facilities

After discharge, several teams may be involved at once: the surgeon, a home health agency, a facility and your primary care clinician. Instructions can get lost between them. Gateway’s wound follow-up after hospital discharge keeps the orders, supplies and updates consistent.

At home, a partner clinician can assess the wound where you are recovering. If a home health nurse is already visiting, we coordinate through wound care alongside home health so the two do not work from different instructions. In rehabilitation and skilled nursing facilities, findings go to the nursing and therapy teams.

How primary care factors in

A hospital stay often changes medications, appetite, sleep and blood sugar, all of which affect how an incision heals. Primary care follow-up after discharge picks up those loose ends: reviewing the medication list, checking on pain control and watching blood sugar.

If you cannot easily get to an office, Gateway can arrange follow-up care after hospital discharge with a partner primary care clinician.

Changes to report and when to call 911

Contact the surgeon’s office or the treating clinician if you notice:

Redness that spreads outward from the incision, or growing warmth or swelling
Pain that is getting worse instead of better
Thick, cloudy, yellow or green drainage, or a bad odor
Fever or chills
Edges pulling apart, or a stitch or staple coming loose
A sudden increase in clear or pink fluid from the incision
A drain that stops working, falls out or changes in output

Call 911 if the wound opens widely or you can see deep tissue, if bleeding soaks through dressings and does not stop with firm pressure, or if you have chest pain, trouble breathing, fainting or sudden confusion. Our guide on what to do when a surgical wound opens covers less urgent cases.

How Gateway helps arrange post-surgical wound care

If you know before leaving the hospital that the wound will need follow-up, you or the discharge planner can call 314-325-0126 then, so records and orders can be gathered early. Visit availability is confirmed by location and care setting.

We collect the operative and discharge paperwork the treating clinician needs, schedule the visit, follow up on supplies, and send updates to the surgeon’s office. Clinical decisions stay with the treating clinician and the surgeon. Coverage depends on the treating provider, your plan and the care needed.

Patients and families can request care online with a name and phone number, leaving out medical details. Hospital and surgical teams can refer a patient or fax 314-786-7966.

Common questions

Is some redness or drainage normal after surgery?

A narrow band of pink or slightly darker skin along the edges and a small amount of clear or light pink fluid are common in the first days. What deserves a call is change in the wrong direction: redness that spreads, drainage that increases or turns cloudy, new odor or rising pain.

Who should I call first, the surgeon or the wound care clinician?

Follow your discharge instructions. Questions about the operation, new symptoms or anything that seems urgent go to the surgeon’s office. Routine questions about supplies, visit times or what the wound care clinician ordered can come to Gateway, and we pass clinical questions to the right office. For an emergency, call 911.

Can I shower with a surgical incision?

It depends on the procedure, how the incision was closed, the dressing in use and what your surgeon has said. Some incisions can get wet early and others must stay dry. Check your discharge papers or ask the surgeon’s office before you change your routine.

Who removes my stitches or staples?

The surgeon decides when they come out and who does it. Timing varies with the location of the incision and how it is healing. Removal may happen at the surgeon’s office, or the surgeon may give an order for another clinician to do it. If you are unsure, Gateway can help confirm the order.

General information to help you talk with your own clinician. It is not medical advice, and the treating clinician makes every clinical decision. For a medical emergency, call 911.

Post-surgical wound care in St. Louis.