Surgery Delay Period After a Cold?

Thank you for your question. If in the unfortunate circumstance that you get sick before your surgery, you may have postpone your surgery until you are better again. If you are feeling sick, I would discuss with your surgeon who may help you decide depending on your individual symptoms.

The Mommy Makeover is one of the largest procedures
performed by cosmetic surgeons.Because
of the magnitude of this procedure, it’s essential that patients be in optimal
health before proceeding with surgery.The presence of a persistent cough may indicate a more serious problem
and should be evaluated by your primary care physician.Until this issue is resolved and the cough
has disappeared for at least two weeks, surgery should be delayed.In the
post-operative period, pre-existing upper respiratory infections can progress
to pneumonia.This can lead to severe
coughing which can lead to severe abdominal pain.In some cases, this can even result in
disruption of the abdominal muscle closure. Although
it appears to be a minor cough associated with a cold, it could have big
consequences.For this reason, it’s
important to delay surgery and evaluate the problem.

Generally, waiting at least 2 weeks from when you are fully recovered from your illness would be recommended prior to undergoing any elective surgery.  You should see your primary care physician to make sure there are no other issues.  You want to make sure your lung function is optimal prior to any general anesthesia.

I strongly recommend that you see your primary care doctor and have him/her listen to your heart and lungs and make sure you are okay before surgery.  Otherwise, you may make all the arrangements for surgery and have the procedure cancelled by your anesthesiologist.  Worse yet, would be to have the surgery aggravate your illness causing you a problem.  Good luck.

Hello. It would be risky to have an elective surgery while sick in any way. Having any kind of infection prior to surgery greatly increases the risk of a surgical site infection so it is best for you to postpone your surgery for at least two weeks to avoid any unnecessary health issues.

 

Jaime Perez, MD
Mommy Makeover Specialist
Plastic Surgery Center of Tampa

       Anyone not feeling well I reschedule until they are feeling well.  There is no real time period here.  If you are feeling well, you can have your surgery.     

I am sorry to hear about your concerns prior to your day of surgery. Generally speaking, patients undergoing elective surgery should be at their optimal (or close to) level of health prior to proceeding. It is especially important that there be no compromise of pulmonary function or active source of infection present.
Your plastic surgeon will be the only relevant resource when it comes to determining your ability to proceed at this time.
Best wishes.

A visit to your primary care physician may best answer your question.  He or she can examine you to determine if you are deemed healthy enough to proceed with surgery.  You want to ensure that you have no active infection present.  Good luck.

A month is a reasonable waiting period for you to recover, and to be certain that there are no bacterial complications (pneumonia, sinusitis) especially if implants are part of the makeover.

Best wishes for an uneventful recovery. 

You should be in perfect condition before elective surgery. If you have cold, upper respiratory infection(Viral). You should postpone surgery till you are completely healed, 4 weeks. See you family physician for proper advise.