80yr old Mom Hematoma

[Leanneknits]

Had a really good chat yesterday with P.T. and now really understand some of the things that could happen if my Mom is left home alone etc. Today I went to rehab to drop off some clean clothes and she informed me that the incision is still bleeding and that she was being transported to surgeons office. Once there they told her the incision might be infected and she was readmitted back into the hospital and she was pretty upset. She has no fever but has like a big hard lump by the incision and resident thinks that it might be a hematoma. They will take bood work I think to verify if infection. Surgeon will look at incision tomorrow A.M.

I need to know if this has happened to anyone else and/or if anyone knows what I can expect or how much of a set back this will be.

Also she hates the rehab place but they have put the fear of God in me if I bring her home and leave her alone from 8:30AM to noon when I am home for lunch until 1PM and then my 14yr old comes home at 3:15. She will stay in rehab if I tell her to. She does get P.T. and O.T. there twice a day. Need thoughts on this also.

How many people go right home that are somewhat elderly. Please everyone reply.

 

[Leanneknits]

80yr old Mom Hematoma update

Okay, just got home from hospital and the hematoma has been removed and Mom will go back to rehab until atleast the weekend. Not sure if she is going to want to stay longer than that but it will give me some time to prepare my home for her arrival.

 

[Josephine]

Sadly, haematomas aren't that uncommon, especially in the elderly. If the tissues inside keep oozing, the blood just collects in the space where the incision was. And this can become infected which is more of a problem. Usually the source of the bleeding has stopped naturally by the time the haematoma is obvious so it just needs to be evacuated and the wound resutured.

Just as a matter of interest, did your mother have vacuum drains in her wound when she came back from theatre? And if she did, when were these removed?

 

[Leanneknits]

She had right THR on 2/108. 4" incision and the wound was glued closed. There were no stitches. Yesterday they reopened approx 2" and cleaned it out and put a few stitches there. They also did blood work and I believe took culture to be sure not infected. She never had any drains. She is however, Type II diabetic and prior to surgery I asked surgeon if this would hinder healing. She is going to go back to rehab facility today and she is hoping to come to my house by the end of the weekend.