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Battling A Staph Infection Resulting From Knees Surgery, WBC Count Elevated. Had Blood Transfusion. Will Hb Level Also Drop ?
A family member is battling a staph infection resulting from a knee surgery. Her white blood cell count was extremely elevated and her hemoglobin count was 7.2. She had to receive a blood transfusion last night due to the low blood count and the doctors are telling her that she is on the road to recovery and will be feeling better after the transfusion. My concern is that the infection is going septic if her hemoglobin is dropping like this. . . what are your thoughts?
Wed, 13 Mar 2013
Hi and thanks for the query,
Remember surgery on its own was an invasive pprodecure and some blood was raised during the process. Severe infcetion leads to falls in hemoglobin levels.
However, in this case, if the infection is not well controlled and the speticmia continues, there is a risk of the hemoglobin levels continuing to fall. Blood cultures and sensitivity tests are very important in this case. Other wise, other drugs that generally treat resistant staphylococcus aureus like Vancomycin should be considered.
having advice too from an infectiologist might be of help. Proper mamanement of the wounds and surgicak folllowup and nursing too an integral aspects in the management plan.
Thanks and best regards,
Luchuo, MD.
Remember surgery on its own was an invasive pprodecure and some blood was raised during the process. Severe infcetion leads to falls in hemoglobin levels.
However, in this case, if the infection is not well controlled and the speticmia continues, there is a risk of the hemoglobin levels continuing to fall. Blood cultures and sensitivity tests are very important in this case. Other wise, other drugs that generally treat resistant staphylococcus aureus like Vancomycin should be considered.
having advice too from an infectiologist might be of help. Proper mamanement of the wounds and surgicak folllowup and nursing too an integral aspects in the management plan.
Thanks and best regards,
Luchuo, MD.
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