How long does fever last after surgery?

The duration of fever after an operation depends on the cause of the fever and the fever therapy. Besides the mentioned non-infectious causes of postoperative fever, there are also infectious causes. In general, the duration of the fever can provide indications of the underlying cause.

After a trauma, postoperative fever for one or two days is common.
So-called “drug fever”, caused by allergic reactions to drugs such as cytostatics or antibiotics, can last up to eight days.
In the case of a thromboembolism, fever usually does not appear until about four days after the operation and lasts until the tenth postoperative day.
In the context of an aspiration pneumonia, for example, those affected often suffer from fever for the first two postoperative days.
In the case of infections such as a urinary tract infection, pneumonia or abscess, the fever usually lasts from the third to the eighth day after the operation.
In the case of a wound infection, those affected suffer from post-operative fever on average from the fifth to tenth day.

Can fever be normal after surgery?

One to two days after an operation, slight fever up to a maximum of 38.5°C is usually harmless. The body raises its temperature to adjust to changes inside. Fever is caused by an increase in the set point of the body temperature in the hypothalamus in the brain. An operation can be traumatic for the body and can cause stress. If the body temperature rises above 38°C, this is not normal and requires medical clarification.

Fever after wisdom tooth surgery

If a wisdom tooth to be removed lies completely in the bone and possibly also transversely, an osteotomy is necessary surgically. If soft-tissue complications such as bruising or tearing of the skin and gums occur during surgery, the injuries are more pronounced.Even though wisdom tooth surgery is a small surgical field, the surgery and possible complications of the procedure can manipulate the tissue. Deep-seated wisdom teeth can leave a wound that is disinfected during surgery.

Nevertheless, the wound may become inflamed and cause symptoms such as chills and fever. Elevated temperatures above 38.5°C after wisdom tooth surgery indicate infection. To prevent the infection from spreading, anti-inflammatory treatment is necessary in case of fever.