eMedicine Specialties > Emergency Medicine > Obstetrics & Gynecology

Pregnancy, Postpartum Infections: Follow-up

Author: Andy W Wong, MD, Resident Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit Receiving Hospital
Coauthor(s): Adam J Rosh, MD, MS, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Wayne State University/Detroit Receiving Hospital
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Aug 10, 2009

Follow-up

Further Inpatient Care

  • Patients with early postpartum endometritis (especially after cesarean delivery) should be admitted, as should any patient with suspected septic pelvic vein thrombosis. Postsurgical wound infections may also require inpatient management, particularly if there is extensive involvement of surrounding soft tissues, intractable pain, and fever.

Further Outpatient Care

  • All patients with a postpartum infection should undergo follow-up with an obstetrician.

Complications

Prognosis

  • The prognosis for postpartum infections is good with prompt and appropriate therapy.

Patient Education

Miscellaneous

Medicolegal Pitfalls

  • Failure to diagnose
  • Inappropriate antibiotics
 
Acknowledgments

The authors and editors of eMedicine gratefully acknowledge the contributions of previous authors, Elicia S Kennedy, MD to the development and writing of this article.



More on Pregnancy, Postpartum Infections

Overview: Pregnancy, Postpartum Infections
Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Pregnancy, Postpartum Infections
Treatment & Medication: Pregnancy, Postpartum Infections
Follow-up: Pregnancy, Postpartum Infections
References
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Further Reading

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Keywords

postpartum infection, endometritis, puerperal infection, postsurgical wound infections, perineal cellulitis, mastitis, retained products of conception, urinary tract infections, UTI, septic pelvic phlebitis, pyelonephritis, genital tract infections, thrombosis, perineal cellulitis, episiotomy, respiratory complications from anesthesia

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Andy W Wong, MD, Resident Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit Receiving Hospital
Andy W Wong, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians and Emergency Medicine Residents Association
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Adam J Rosh, MD, MS, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Wayne State University/Detroit Receiving Hospital
Adam J Rosh, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Assaad J Sayah, MD, Chief, Department of Emergency Medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance
Assaad J Sayah, MD is a member of the following medical societies: National Association of EMS Physicians
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: eMedicine Salary Employment

Managing Editor

Mark Zwanger, MD, MBA, Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University
Mark Zwanger, MD, MBA is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, and American Medical Association
Disclosure: Medicines Company Consulting fee Consulting; Pfizer Salary Employment

CME Editor

John D Halamka, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Chief Information Officer, CareGroup Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School; Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
John D Halamka, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Pamela L Dyne, MD, Professor of Clinical Medicine/Emergency Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; Attending Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center
Pamela L Dyne, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

 
 
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