How many days is the hospital stay for perianal abscess surgery?

Written by Chen Tian Jing
Colorectal Surgery
Updated on December 15, 2024
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After surgery for a perianal abscess, due to the presence of a local wound and the significant discharge from the wound in the early postoperative period, combined with the potential fall of ligatures or elastic bands at the area, a hospital stay of approximately two weeks is required. For severe cases or those with deeper abscess cavities, a hospital stay of three weeks or even a month might be necessary.

The main purpose of the hospital stay post-surgery is to monitor for any major bleeding from the wound, and to facilitate dressing changes. Postoperative dressing changes for a perianal abscess wound are crucial for recovery, as only thorough daily disinfection and dressing changes can ensure uniform granulation and growth of local tissues, prevent the enclosure of pus within the local cavity leading to pseudohealing or reinfection, and thus affect the treatment outcome of the surgery. Approximately one month after surgery, regular follow-up visits are required to monitor the healing of the local wound.

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Written by Chen Tian Jing
Colorectal Surgery
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Can you eat fish with a perianal abscess?

Patients with perianal abscesses should avoid eating seafood or consuming excessive amounts of seafood products. Because fish and seafood are considered to provoke symptoms in traditional beliefs, their overconsumption can lead to congestion and swelling of the local mucosa. Along with an acute infection of a perianal abscess, food may exacerbate the infection. Therefore, the diet of patients with a perianal abscess should primarily be bland. Additionally, once a perianal abscess is detected, it is necessary to perform an incision and drainage procedure for the abscess promptly, as well as a one-time debridement and radical surgery to prevent the further expansion of the abscess cavity or recurrent infection leading to the formation of anal fistulas.

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Written by Chen Tian Jing
Colorectal Surgery
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Why does a perianal abscess recur?

Perianal abscess is an infectious disease of the local skin and tissues around the anus caused by an infection in the anal crypts. If a perianal abscess is not treated with a definitive one-time surgical intervention, it is very likely to recur, or after rupture of the abscess, to form an anal fistula with long-term intermittent discharge of pus from an external opening. Therefore, during the acute phase of a perianal abscess, once a distinct abscess cavity and pus formation occurs, it is necessary to promptly perform a one-time definitive surgical treatment of the perianal abscess, rather than choosing conservative medication treatment or simple incision and drainage. The above treatments only temporarily alleviate symptoms of a perianal abscess; only a one-time definitive surgery that completely cleans the local wound can result in the complete healing of the perianal abscess.

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Written by Chen Tian Jing
Colorectal Surgery
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Which department should I go to for perianal abscess?

During the acute phase of a perianal abscess, patients experience significant local redness, swelling, heat, and pain around the anus. The pain is severe and in some cases, patients are unable to sit or walk normally due to the discomfort. During this acute phase, the swelling of the skin around the anus can easily be confused with skin carbuncles, leading patients to mistakenly visit a dermatologist. However, a perianal abscess is a local anal disease that requires registration with a colorectal surgery department, as it is not merely a skin carbuncle but an infection caused by an infection at the anal crypts inside the anal canal. This necessitates prompt surgical incision and drainage, and, if a fistula has formed, a fistulotomy may also be necessary.

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Written by Chen Tian Jing
Colorectal Surgery
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How many days is the hospital stay for perianal abscess surgery?

After surgery for a perianal abscess, due to the presence of a local wound and the significant discharge from the wound in the early postoperative period, combined with the potential fall of ligatures or elastic bands at the area, a hospital stay of approximately two weeks is required. For severe cases or those with deeper abscess cavities, a hospital stay of three weeks or even a month might be necessary. The main purpose of the hospital stay post-surgery is to monitor for any major bleeding from the wound, and to facilitate dressing changes. Postoperative dressing changes for a perianal abscess wound are crucial for recovery, as only thorough daily disinfection and dressing changes can ensure uniform granulation and growth of local tissues, prevent the enclosure of pus within the local cavity leading to pseudohealing or reinfection, and thus affect the treatment outcome of the surgery. Approximately one month after surgery, regular follow-up visits are required to monitor the healing of the local wound.

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Written by Chen Tian Jing
Colorectal Surgery
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How many days of antibiotic injections are needed to treat a perianal abscess?

During the acute phase of a perianal abscess, the main focus is on the nature of the local abscess. If it is a hard swelling without pus formation, anti-inflammatory injections or antibiotics can be used for symptomatic treatment. Generally, a five to seven-day course of antibiotic and anti-inflammatory treatment can reduce the local swelling, but it cannot guarantee a 100% chance of non-recurrence in the future. If a local pus cavity or swelling has already formed, and there is pus formation, simply using anti-inflammatory injections for symptomatic treatment will not be curative. Surgery is also required, mainly involving opening the local pus cavity, cleaning out the pus thoroughly, and removing local infection foci to promote normal growth of fresh granulation tissue, which could then lead to the healing of the local wound.