Wind
- Usually post-operative days 1 to 2
- Pneumonia
- Aspiration
- Pulmonary embolism
- Atelectasis
Water
- Usually post-operative days 3 to 5
- Urinary tract infection, maybe related to an indwelling catheter
“Walking” or “Weins”
- Usually post-operative days 4 to 6
- Deep vein thrombosis
- Pulmonary embolism
Wound (and Womb, if you’re an obstetrician)
- Usually post-operative days 5 to 7
- Surgical site infection
- The womb is infected (again—if you’re an obstetrician)
Wonder Drugs
- Usually post-operative days 7+
- Drug fever
- Reaction to blood products (note—acute transfusion reactions can happen within minutes or hours of transfusion)
- Infection due to intravenous lines